


Destiny: The House of Night

by DraksonNightKell



Series: Children of the Traveler [1]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-09
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2019-05-04 09:06:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 33
Words: 63,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14589651
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DraksonNightKell/pseuds/DraksonNightKell
Summary: A lone Hunter, burdened by his past, manages to befriend a Fallen Captain. With outcasts from the House of Devils, a new House rises in the name of a mysterious being.





	1. Prologue - Journal Entry 1

<Are you sure it's on?>

"Of course. See that blue light? That means it is recording."

<Fallen tech has nothing but blue lights. This thing is covered in them>

"Just trust me, alright? Remember, we spent years with this stuff back on Venus. We've got more experience with this kind of tech than anyone else in the City or the Reef."

<Even the Reef? You sure about that?>

"Just... Whatever. This is Draco-192, Exo Hunter of the Last City. I'm leaving this recording in case things go wrong out here. Well, worse, I guess. Things are already bad. Where do I even start?"

<I would suggest the escape from the Devils. It marks the beginning of all this, doesn't it?>

"Good point, Angel. Now, the House of Devils. The so-called Scourge of the City. I managed to gain their trust by saving the leader of the Devil Claw, their group of assassins. Few months later, she finds me again in the Old Russian Cosmodrome. And, what do you know, she's managed to learn English. Over time, me and Karaks...

That's her name, by the way... Well, we met often, and I suppose you could say we became friends. When we tried to broker a peace between the City and the Devils, their Kell, Solkis, demanded our heads. Fortunately, the entire Devil Claw along with several other sympathizers helped us out. After six days, we hijacked this Ketch and left. So here we are. Adrift somewhere between Earth and Venus..."

<Are you okay?>

"..."

<Draco? Hello?>

"Sorry, Angel. It's just that... I'm responsible for everyone aboard this ship. I'm the reason they left the Devils. And I've let them down. Drifting for months, with no Servitor to run this Ketch and a dwindling supply of ether. They won't be able to live like this much longer."

"Well... At least... We die free."

"Karaks! You should be resting! Ah, whatever, come on in."

<I'll... Give you two some privacy.>

"Thanks, Angel. Catch you later."

"What are you doing, Draco?"

"Just recording a message for the City in case the worst happens. I've been gone for months, and they don't even know why. They probably think I'm dead... And so will all of you be if I can't find a way to improve the situation."

"Don't blame yourself, dear. We all knew the risks when we left Earth. We knew that it might be a one-way ticket."

"Well, you've certainly improved. You're even using idioms now. I'm impressed."

"Your Ghost is a great teacher. So are you. As they say, I've learned from the best."

"The best. If I was, we wouldn't be in this predicament. I wouldn't have led you all to your death."

"And if we are to die, at least I will die happy. I'll be able to spend my remaining life with the one I love."

"Thank you, Karaks. You always know just what to say, don't you?"

"Yes... Maybe..."

"Karaks? Karaks, are you okay?"

"Just... low on... ether..."

"You're trembling. Come here. I'll warm you up."

"Thanks... Just... Please... Hold me... And never... Let go..."

"I would never let go of you, Karaks. You mean too much to me."

"If I die... I want... To die... In... Your arms..."

"You're not dying Karaks. Not yet. I'll find a way out of this, a way to save all of you. At least, I hope."

<Draco?>

"Hm?"

<It's still recording>

"Oh, right. Hold on, where's the button? Ah, there, I think this is-."


	2. Meeting the Crew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco-192 takes a quick tour of the ketch, meeting a few key figures onboard as he ponders his next move.

"-it."

As I press the button, the blue light switches off. Angel hovers over my shoulder, inspecting the recording device, her single blue eye sweeping over the bulky thing.

<How do you even plan on getting it to the City?>

I meet her gaze, then look down at Karaks, sleeping soundly in my arms. Despite the fact that I ordered all non-essential personnel to remain in their quarters and save on the ether usage, she still insists on seeing me.

"I don't know, Angel. I have no clue what to do. I think I wanted to record it in order to feel some slight glimmer of hope, no matter how small."

I slowly rise up from my chair, still holding Karaks in my arms. Even though she's taller and bigger than me, I have no problem lifting her thanks to my Exo strength. One of the perks of being a synthetic lifeform.

<False hope is not really hope at all, is it?>

As I walk out into the corridor, with Karaks gently in my arms, I turn to look at Angel. Hope is still hope, right? No matter if it's real or a false sensation of it?

"Maybe... or maybe not."

I turn back and keep walking down the hallway, while Angel hovers just in front of me, looking ahead. She know where we're going. It's not the first time I've carried Karaks back after she passes out in my chamber.

Not much time passes by before we're outside the door, with Angel whirring around me as usual. As I open the door and step inside, I notice the slightly torn and ragged cloak hanging above her sleeping alcove. My old cloak. And before that, the cloak of my good friend Ana Bray. After she died and I inherited it, I used it to bandage Karaks' wounds after their skirmish with the Hive in the Grottos of the Cosmodrome. She kept it as a symbol of friendship and compassion. And now here it hangs, with its white cloth adorned with a golden wolf. The "Strength of the Pack". But now, my own pack was slowly fading away.

"The law of the jungle" I mutter as I carefully lay Karaks down into her alcove, as to not wake her up. While the Eliksni do need ether to live, just like humans and Awoken need air, they barely use any while asleep.

<As old and as true as the sky.>

I stand up and look at Angel, who is fixated at the ether-stained cloak.

<The wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the wolf that shall break it must die.>

"As the creeper that girdles the tree trunk, the law runneth forward and back."

Angel spins around to look at me, before slowly turning back around.

<For the strength of the pack is the wolf...>

I turn and look at Karaks one last time. Her upper left arm is robotic, after she lost her actual one during the Twilight Gap. She almost sacrificed her life to save Rahn from Lord Shaxx's shotgun, and in return, Rahn carried her off the battlefield. I had spotted them as I came to aid Shaxx, and almost pulled the trigger on them both. And if I had, none of this would have ever happened. But I would never have met the most honorable members of the Eliksni race either.

"...And the strength of the wolf is the pack."

I look back at Angel, and we share a short glance before walking out of the room, closing the door behind me.

Back in the hallway, I sigh and start walking toward the Bridge. It's about time that I check up on Rahn, the Baron I put in charge while I'm away. As I continue along the corridors, a Captain stumbles out of a nearby room and stops me.

"Draco, I know now not good time, but we have problem."

From her average English and scar along her rightmost eye, I could recognize Gersiks almost anywhere. I appointed her as the Chief Medic due to her extraordinary skills in the field.

"Greetings, Gersiks. There is never really a good time right now, but if we have a problem, I'm listening."

She looks down slightly, clearly trying to put her thoughts into words I would understand. The Eliksni language is mostly comprised of guttural sounds, roars and sometimes a few clicks.

"Medical supplies low. Still many wounded. Not know what to do. Some may not live if not help."

Of course there's not enough to treat everyone who got wounded in our escape. We were outmatched, outmanned and outgunned. Many didn't even get to the ship. I look over at Angel, as she anticipates my question.

<Your City Vault has only 53 units of Spirit Bloom left. Still a lot of Sapphire Wire and Plasteel Plating, but Spinmetal is running low. Should I transmat some of it here?>

I look inside the medbay, were dozens of Dregs and Vandals and a few Captains lie, all of them drugged down to keep them from being in pain. Many still have visible wounds, some are even missing parts of an arm. All of them are my responsibility. And I will not let any of them down.

"No. Transmat all of it here. We're going to need everything we can get. Transmat it directly into the Medbay Supply room. No need to make unnecessarily long walks."

Angel blinks her eye once, and then disappears in a flash of light. A few seconds later, thuds can be heard from somewhere inside the room, as she reappears.

<Done. Every piece of Spinmetal, Spirit Bloom, Plasteel and Sapphire Wire is aboard.>

Gersiks appears relieved, as she begins to walk back inside.

"Thank you, Draco. I will do best to save brothers and sisters."

"I know you will."

But as I walk towards the door to the Bridge, I get the sad feeling that many of the ones in the Medbay may not survive, as there is far from enough resources for all of them. At best, what I just brought onboard might save a third of them.

<You did your best. No one can blame you for that.>

I look up at Angel, who is simply staring at me, before she resumes her attention to the door. A moment later it opens, revealing the massive Bridge that would have been teeming with activity, but instead was home to a single figure behind a wall of consoles.

"Perhaps. But if my best is not good enough, then I will simply have led everyone aboard to their damnation."

As the door close behind me, Rahn turns around to look at me.

"Draco, friend. How are you doing?"

Rahn's English is better than most Eliksni in the system, but he is still not on Karaks' level yet. Then again, he was a field commander, not an infiltrator and spy like she was. She had to learn in order to gather intel. Rahn never had the need to learn a human language.

"To be honest, Rahn, I don't really know. Things certainly aren't looking great right now."

As I walk over to him, he returns his gaze to the instruments and information before him, pressing a few buttons.

"Not great, no. But we are alive. Many of our brothers and sisters are not so lucky."

I stand next to him, looking out the main viewport with my arms crossed. Angel flies over to Rahn's console, overlooking the various messages, warnings and commands. Even though Rahn is experienced in Ketch flight, he appreciates the help. He's clever enough to know that he's not without faults. According to him, no one is perfect, not even the Kells. If they were, they wouldn't need Barons or armies to win. They could do so on their own. He firmly believes that the reason a group works better than going solo is because the different individuals compliment each others’ flaws and weaknesses.

<Ether is running dangerously low. At this point, we only have about 5 or 6 days left.>

Rahn simply nods, while he continues to monitor the instruments. Always on guard, always prepared for an ambush. It's the reason he made it so high in the Devils' ranks.

"If we reduce ether distribution, could last... 8, maybe 9 days. But then, all of us must rest. You would be running ship alone."

I watch the starry, black sky outside. At best, 6 days with an experienced crew, or 9 days with just me and Angel. And somewhere, out in the endless void in front of me, was our salvation. Or so I hoped. I vaguely remember hearing it in one of my dreams. Whispers of a Prime Servitor, long-forgotten. But they are just dreams. And yet, I can't shake the feeling that it might be true. Perhaps, somewhere out there... Maybe even in our very solar system... An old Prime. But even if we find it and reactivate it, will it help us? Or will it attempt to wipe us out?

"Draco?"

I shake my head to snap out of my stupor. My mind tends to wander whenever I look at the stars, whether it is down on a planet or in space.

"Yes, sorry. I was just thinking. What was it, Rahn?"

"Should we keep going with crew? Or should we let you lead alone?"

"I think... I think we'll go with a full crew a while longer, 4 days at most. After that, I will attempt to use the remaining time to find a solution on my own. Somehow..."

Rahn nods again before looking back to his console.

"Good. I will keep watching."

As I start to walk back toward the exit, I take a last look at the black depths of space, filled with small points of light. It reminds me of the fight between the Light and the Darkness. Right now, we're just small dots standing between the Darkness and complete victory. Just as I'm about to close the door, I hear Rahn call out again.

"Draco?"

I look back at him, and for the first time, he seems worried.

"I hope you find solution quick."

Before I can answer, he looks back at the console, growling as he swipes another warning away. I can faintly make out the Eliksni symbol for "ether". Poor Rahn must have gotten hundreds of those in the last days.

"Me too, pal. Me too."


	3. An Otherworldly Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Draco ponders his next move, a strange entity calls to him...

I return to my quarters without encountering anyone else. The few Captains and Barons who are awake are probably too focused on doing their jobs than to bother me with their worries. As if there wasn't enough of those already. Without a Pilot Servitor, or even a normal Servitor for that matter, it takes an extreme effort to just keep this Ketch from falling apart.

My room isn't anything fancy, just the standard living quarters that everyone else aboard this ship has. Even though me and Karaks are the de facto leaders of the survivors, we do not grant ourselves extra luxuries. We are no better than anyone else.

<So, where do you suggest we start searching?>

I look up at Angel, startled by the sudden change in her silence.

"Well... Earth is out of the question, we can't go anywhere near the Devils until things calm down. And I don't like the thought of the House of Kings getting wind of us either. The moon is also too close, and even if it wasn't, the Hive makes it too dangerous."

<That leaves Mercury, Venus, Mars and the Reef, then. We're narrowing it down, it's a good start.>

I suddenly realize what Angel is trying to do. She's keeping my hopes up, making me consider the possibility of there actually being a long-forgotten Prime somewhere.

"Mercury is no good. It's too far, and the planet is completely run by the Vex. It's just a giant machine now. And it would take far too long to scavenge through the entire Reef, not to mention that the Awoken wouldn't look nicely on our intrusion."

<Well, that leaves Mars and Venus.>

"Yup. And Mars is just a giant battleground between the Vex and the Cabal. If there ever was a Prime there, it would either have been destroyed or found long ago. So, the odds are slim, especially with the Cabal. They would probably have blown it up for fun if they found it."

<So, Venus then? Are you sure? We both know what awaits us back there.>

"I'm sure. And I think it's time that we show the House of Winter that they messed with the wrong Guardian all those years ago. Let's see what Draksis has been up to while we were gone."

<We do not have the numbers to take them on, though. They would blow this Ketch out of the sky the moment we touch the atmosphere.>

"I know. Which is why we need to come up with a plan. Tell Rahn to set the course for Venus, but have him hold position 10'000 kilometers above the atmosphere until we know for sure how we're going to do this."

<Got it. I'll be back in a few minutes.>

As Angel flies off towards the bridge to deliver my order, I lie down in my bunk. Even though I'm an Exo, just a robotic lifeform fashioned in the image of humanity, I can still sleep, though it's not necessary for me at all. And ever since we left Earth, I've kept having strange dreams, whispers that guide me. I'm hoping that maybe they'll tell me what to do when we reach Venus. I turn off my optical sensors, and listen to the rumbling from the ships systems as the warp drive prepares to take the Ketch into near-lightspeed.

 

I find myself floating in an endless, deep purple void. I call out to Angel but no one answers me. Oddly enough, I'm wearing my full armor and all of my weapons. I was sure I left them on the table in my quarters. When did I take them with me? And how did I get here?

"YOU GOT HERE BECAUSE I BROUGHT YOU HERE."

I spin around, but can't tell where the voice came from. It's like it was all around me.

"Hello? Where are you? Who are you?"

"I CARRY MANY NAMES. THE VOID SISTER, THE STARGAZER, THE PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT. AND THE DAUGHTER OF THE TRAVELER. BUT MY NAME IS LUNA. AND THIS IS THE VOID, MY REALM, ONE ASPECT OF THE LIGHT YOU WIELD."

The voice is unlike anything I've ever heard; kind and calming, but also royal, commanding and assertive. And yet, it feels like I have heard it before. But where?

"IN YOUR DREAMS. I HAVE GUIDED YOU TO THIS PATH THROUGH WHISPERS IN THE VOID. EVER SINCE YOU LEFT EARTH, I HAVE WATCHED OVER ALL OF YOU."

"Watched over? My entire crew is dying a slow death from the lack of ether. Many are injured from the battle to escape. How can you say that you've been wathcing over us then?"

"WATCHING OVER DOES NOT MEAN PROTECT, YOUNG ONE. I HAVE SIMPLY, AS I SAID, WATCHED. TO SEE IF YOU ARE THE WARRIORS I SEEK. THE WARRIORS THAT CAN AID IN THE DESTRUCTION OF THE DARKNESS."

"The warriors you seek? Destruction of the Darkness? What are you talking about?"

This just keeps on getting confusing. What is she, for the voice is clearly female, talking about?

"I WILL SHOW YOU, IN TIME. FIRST, GO TO VENUS. THERE YOU WILL FIND YOUR SALVATION: THE PRIME SERVITOR I PROMISED YOU. AND YOU NEED NOT FEAR IT, FOR IT HAD THE SAME DESIRE AS YOU DO: PEACE BETWEEN HUMANITY AND ELIKSNI. TOGETHER, YOU CAN SHARE THE GIFTS BOTH ME, MY SIBLINGS AND OUR CREATOR HAS TO OFFER."

Suddenly, it feels like I'm falling downwards. I turn and see what appears to be a black hole beneath me. I keep going faster and faster, until it feels like I'm going to get ripped apart.

"How do I know you're telling the truth? How do I know you're not an agent of the Darkness seeking to guide me astray?"

Just as the black hole consumes me, I hear Luna's last words.

"YOU CAN'T. BUT IF YOU DON'T, THEY WILL ALL DIE. INCLUDING THE ONE YOU CARE MOST ABOUT."

 

I hit the ground with a solid "thud". As I look around, I recognize the walls and lights I've been surrounded by the last few months. It was all a dream. And still, it felt as real as the floor I'm sitting on.

<Draco! Are you alright?>

Angel flies over to me, clearly worried. How long had I been "dreaming"? It felt like the fall lasted forever. But then again, time moves differently in dreams. I could have been asleep for just a few seconds in the real world.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. It was just a dream."

And yet, it feels like it was so much more than that.

I get up and walk over to the table where my equipment lies. As I begin to put on my armor, Angel starts slowly buzzing around me, clearly wondering what I'm up to.

"It's alright, Angel. It was just a dream. But at least I know what to do now."

I put my Shrapnel Launcher on the magclamps on my back, and my Shock Pistol in the holster on my right leg. As I step out into the corridor, fully suited for battle, I turn towards Angel again.

"We're going to the bridge. I have a plan."


	4. A Cold Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Devil outcasts arrive at Venus, and come face to face with the House of Winter, and Draco's age-old nemesis.

As I walk into the bridge, I immediately notice the yellow orb in front of us. We have already arrived at Venus. Rahn gazes over at me, then turn around completely, head tilted slightly.

"Fully armored? Got a plan for going down?"

"You bet I do. Set ether distribution back to normal. Angel, go rouse Karaks. Tell her to prepare the Devil Claw, then tell Droksas I want three Skiffs ready for flight as soon as possible."

As Angel flies of back down the corridor, Rahn walks over to me. I already know what he's going to ask.

"With ether distribution at max, will only last 2 days. Are you sure it is wise?"

I put my hand on his shoulder, and look him straight into his four eyes.

"I need everyone going down there to be at 100 percent. With normal ether levels, they'll be able to think clearly and focus during the briefing."

As I walk over to the throne reserved for the commander of the Ketch, Rahn keeps his quizzical gaze on me.

"Briefing for what? What is the plan?"

I sit down in the throne, the entire bridge visible along with the main viewport. This is a seat of power, reserved only for the Kell, or the Baron responsible for the ship. No one have dared touch it since our departure. I think they all knew I would take the place in the end, like many wanted me to. I look down at Rahn, returning his gaze.

"We're going to say hello to some old friends. And hopefully, they will have what we're looking for. Or at the very least, they will know where it is."

Approximately 13 minutes later, Karaks and 25 members of the Devil Claw stand before me on the Bridge. As I go through the plan, I can't help but notice Karaks' posture and expression. It is one I have seen before, but only rarely; pride. I smile to myself beneath the helmet and asks if everyone understands. 26 voices say they do.

"Well then, let's do this. Let's show the Devils that we're not going out as easy as they hoped. And let's show Winter that we should be feared!"

More roars of triumph. As the Captains and Vandals start heading toward the hangar, Karaks stays behind, gaze locked on me. As I walk down towards her, she grabs me by the shoulders and embraces me. She's obviously regained her strength.

"I'm so proud of you! I knew you would make a fine Kell!"

If she was a human, I'm positive that she would be crying tears of joy right now. I had a feeling she wanted me to be Kell all this time, and now she's finally said it. I wrestle free of her arms, but allow her to hold me at an arm's length. Her eyes are almost radiating with joy.

"Thanks, Karaks. But I'm not a Kell. A Kell rules the House, and we are no longer a House. We are rebels, outcasts. We're simply doing this to survive."

She walks towards me and embraces me again, but softly this time, and rests her head on my shoulder.

"For now, we survive. But soon, we will rise stronger than ever! And when that happens, you will lead us. Just as she told me."

She? Who was Karaks talking about? I open my mouth to ask, but Angel pops into existence, grabbing our attention.

<Alright, lovebirds, shall we go? Or should I pronounce you husband and wife first?>

Karaks simply stares at Angel with a confused look while I chuckle to myself.

"We're on our way, Angel. Let's get this done."

Not too long after, three Skiffs leave the Ketch and fly toward the surface, their cloaking modules rendering them near invisible to both sensors and vision. Me and Karaks are in the lead Skiff, along with 6 members of the Devil Claw. Both of the other Skiffs carry an additional 8 Claws each. 23 Eliksni and one Guardian against an entire area full of members from House Winter, and potentially Vex units, should they decide to investigate.

<This could go terribly wrong. I hope you are aware of that.>

Even though I can't see her, I know Angel is with me, as a part of my Light.

"I know. But it's our only chance of survival. Either we die fighting for freedom, knowing we did all we could, or we die freezing in a spaceship, regretting not taking action."

Suddenly, the Skiffs interior lights blare red. Any soldier, Eliksni or human, could understand its meaning; "Prepare for combat". I draw my Shrapnel Launcher and make sure it's fully loaded. According to my HUD, all 30 rounds are ready to fire. I see Karaks brandishing her Shock Blades next to me, electricity arcing along the sharpened edges. We look at each other with a gaze that says everything. This is what we were born to do. I feel the Skiff come to a halt, and the hatches in the floor open as the Devil Claw jump out, scouting out the area. I don't wait for the status report, but simply jump out right after them. I am, after all, a fighter. I belong on the front line.

The area is speckled with small mounds and rocky spires, pools of water steaming around cracks of volcanic rock. No sign of any Winter activity. Behind me the rest of the Claw have deployed, and two of the Skiffs hold their position about 20 meters off the ground, while the last returns to orbit. I look around at the Vandals and Captains standing with me, before turning my attention to the caves at the southeastern part of the canyon.

"Alright everyone, listen up! The House of Winter allegedly knows about the location of a deactivated Prime Servitor, and we're here to either find it, or its location. I want high ranking members alive, but do not hesitate to slaughter anyone else. Remember, House Winter is aggressive and ruthless, and won't show any mercy. So let's do this quickly, and let's do it efficiently. Move out!"

The soldiers quickly disappear from sight as they activate their personal cloaking, appearing simply as hazy distortions. Perfect camouflage in a volcanic area, where the heat makes everything hazy. Like shadows in the night.

As I walk towards the cave system, I hear Karaks' voice on my right. Both she and her most trusted lieutenant, Soralkis, have decided to keep me safe, as I cannot cloak along with them.

"Soralkis will keep her distance and cover your left with a Wire Rifle. She's the best sharpshooter we got."

"Good. And what about you?"

"I will cover your right with my Shock Blades and Shock Pistols. No one will lay a hand on you, my love."

Her Shock Pistols. I had almost forgotten about those. What makes Karaks more deadly than a standard stealth Captain is the fact that she not only wields two Shock Blades with her upper arms, but also carries two Shock Pistols that she can draw and fire with her lower arms. No one anticipates that a melee combatant suddenly starts shooting from a distance.

"Very well, but be careful. I can be resurrected, you can't. Don't take any unnecessary risks."

<Says the one who always charges into battle.>

“Very funny.”

As we approach the cave, it becomes obvious that the House of Winter operates in the area; scaffolds and platforms run around the openings in the cliffside, and a few lookouts have been stationed up high. Poor bastards won't even know what hit them. I take cover behind a rocky outcropping, and open a comm line to Karaks.

"I count at least five snipers up top, could be more. Take them out whenever you're ready."

She does not reply, but instead issues commands to the others. A few seconds later, five Wire Rifle shots fly through the air and find their mark. Unfortunately, two more snipers who had been out of sight begin firing back, and clip one of the Vandals in the leg.

"Shit! Everyone, take cover! Eliminate those two snipers and help that Vandal out of the firing line! Now!"

I had hoped that this would have gone smoother, but I expected that Winter wouldn't go easy on us. If they wanted a fight, we would show them that they had bitten off more than they could chew.

"Karaks, with me! We're moving in toward the cave! Tell everyone else to follow and lay down covering fire!"

As we make a break across the open terrain between us and the platform, I see more movement coming from the cave. Winter Dregs and Vandals, clad in white armor and pale blue cloaks, along with white Shanks. Damn flying death-toasters. The snipers had already raised the alarm.

I jump as high into the air as I can, and then jump off the air again, taking me to the top of the platform. Just as a Vandal raises its Shock Rifle at me, I've already fired two rounds into its head. As the remaining Fallen turn toward me, I take out another Dreg with a stab to the neck, before throwing the knife into another Vandal's face. I spin around and fire a round from my Shrapnel Launcher into a Shank, before finishing another Dreg off with a punch with the butt of my rifle. Firing at the oncoming Dregs with my right arm, I use my left to draw my Shock Pistol and fire at a Vandal trying to sneak up on my back. Just as I think I've cleared the area, I hear the familiar sound of a Vandal decloaking and lunging at me. Before I can even turn around, a Wire Rifle round penetrates its skull and sends it slumping to the ground. Over the comms I can hear Soralkis' raspy voice.

"Got you covered, my Kell".

I wave in her general direction, and notice Karaks coming up the ramp from another platform. Her blades are covered in ether, and the platform is littered with bodies and Shank wrecks. On the battlefield, in the dance of life and death, we're equally elegant and lethal.

"Alright, that appears to be all of the perimeter guards. Have the Claw regroup up here, and then we'll move in. They probably know we're coming, so expect a welcome party."

We enter the caves with me and Karaks up front. After walking for several minutes with nothing but rocks, dust and the occasional pool of water, Karaks steps closer to me.

"I do not like this. There's no one here. Wouldn't the others inside the cave system have found and attacked us by now?"

I turn to look at her, the worry quite apparent across her face. I've never seen Karaks like this before.

"The House of Winter is extremely aggressive and militaristic, but that also makes them very predictable. They front guards were unable to keep us out, therefore the ones already inside will fall back to a position that is easily defensible. Like a cavern, or a large opening. In these small caves their numbers will do them no good."

Karaks does not answer, but simply resumes looking around. Is it fear that makes her act like this? And if so, the fear of what? Death? The Devils were far too proud for that. Anyone fearing death would never advance past the rank of Dreg. It couldn't be the cramped space either; Eliksni choose caves, tunnels and small rooms as their hideouts and lairs instead of the more open areas. So what does she fear?

After walking for a few more minutes, I open a secure comm channel to Karaks, allowing us to speak privately.

"Karaks, what is wrong? I've never seen you act in this way. You seem quite jumpy."

"I... I must admit. I am... afraid."

So my suspicions were correct after all. But what could someone as formidable as her be afraid of?

"Afraid? Of what? I know fear is not uncommon among Eliksni, but I thought it was looked upon as weakness. What could someone as strong as you possibly fear?"

"It is a fear I've never had before. Something that I never thought I would experience. I am afraid... of losing you."

Losing me. Those two words hit me straight in my robotic core. That explains a lot. If she never cared so deeply about anyone before, she would not fear losing them. And since she fears nothing else, it would appear she was fearless, easily enabling her to rise quickly in the Devils' ranks. After all, she is relatively young by Eliksni standards.

"Well, then you have nothing to fear. I'm not leaving you or any of the others behind. That's one of the perks with being a Guardian; when we die, our Ghost brings us right back. We never truly die."

Unless, of course, we lose our Ghost, or our Light entirely. But I don’t mention this to her. It wouldn’t help the situation.

<Look, up ahead. The cave opens up.>

Angel is right. Not far ahead, light shines down the rocky walls of the small corridor. And beyond it, no doubt, was our Winter welcome party.

"Okay, this is it. Karaks, tell everyone to run their stealth and stick to the shadows. I'm walking up into the middle to survey the area and their forces. Get in position, wait for my signal, then take them out. They may have the numbers, but their arrogance will be their undoing."

I wait for Karaks to relay the message, and then walk out into the open area beyond the caves. It is much bigger than I thought. Too big. This can't be a cavern.

<This is very bad. The cave opened up into another massive canyon!>

Another canyon. And unlike the first, this one is filled with white and blue armor. Vandals with Wire Rifles up high, Dregs and Shanks in front of me and along the platforms dotting the walls, and Captains standing behind them. Above me, the dark yellow sky of Venus boils. I am completely exposed. Then suddenly, a voice booms out. A voice I know too well.

"YOU! You have returned!"

Walking towards me between the Dregs and Captains is a massive figure, about twice as tall as anyone else. A long, light blue cloak hangs from its shoulders, fur trim along his shoulder pads and collar, and a massive Shrapnel Launcher in hand. My oldest enemy.

"Hello again, Draksis. Miss me? Judging by the party, I think you must have."

He stops just in front of the pack, about ten meters from where I'm standing. All of his eyes are fixated on me. The hatred is obvious to anyone who knows anything about the Fallen. I tighten my grip on the Shock Pistol.

"Always small talk, always mocking. You have not changed, scum. I thought we were rid of you when you left so long ago. And now, you come back, but not alone."

Not alone? I feel nervous as Draksis casually looks around to where the Devil Claw are hiding. He knows that they're there. It's just too much of a coincidence.

"You bring the Devils with you. You dare to bring our enemies to our home. For that, you will die a slow, painful death."

I'm just about to reply when Karaks steps up beside me, cloak deactivated.

"You are wrong, Kell of Winter. We are Devils no longer. We do not follow Solkis, the Treacherous anymore. We are free to choose ourselves. And we choose..."

She looks over at me, pride in her eyes.

"... to follow him. Draco. Our new Kell!"

With those final words, she raises her fist and roars. Meanwhile, I can hear a deep rumbling coming from Draksis. He's laughing.

"You would follow a ghoul, a dead machine, rather than your own kind? You are a bigger fool than Virixas."

I can see that Karaks wants to tear Draksis throat out. After all, she had just been insulted in one of the worst possible manners.

"Virixas was a fool to underestimate his enemy, that is correct."

I take a few steps towards the Winter Kell, looking him straight in the eyes.

"But so have you. Rahn... Show our dear friend here why you should never assume to have the advantage over an enemy you know very little about."

The next few seconds feel like the longest in my entire life.

"What are you talking about, machine?"

I can now see the faint blue lights in the sky. Just have to keep his attention for a few more seconds.

"I'm saying that you have made the same mistake as Virixas did. Apparently, you are as foolish as he was."

Just as Draksis raises his Shrapnel Launcher with a roar, the ground shakes as several blasts impact with the Winter forces. Pebbles and boulders fly everywhere, creating cover for both sides. I roll behind a rock that landed next to me and draw my weapon. I hear Draksis roar orders to his troops.

"Find them! Find them, and exterminate every last one! But bring that wretched machine to me alive!"

I look back to the still cloaked Devil Claw, Wire Rifles drawn and aimed.

"Now! Kill them! And we will claim our salvation!"

Over the comm, I can hear Karaks shouting the very same order.

"Kill the House of Winter! Kill them all! For our Kell!"


	5. Battle of the Kells

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle between the Devil outcasts and the House of Winter begins, and Draco goes toe-to-toe with Draksis to settle old scores.

I leap out from behind the rock as the arc projectiles start flying, firing my shock pistol once, twice, three times, and three of the Vandal snipers fall to the ground, ether spewing into the air from where their heads once was. As I hide behind a second, smaller rock, I see an entire pack of Dregs charging from my left. I throw an Incendiary Grenade into their midst, sending at least a dozen of them flying, their bodies burnt to a crisp from the intense heat. I empty the clip in my shock pistol, and hurl a throwing knife straight into the face of the closest Dreg. As the last two advance, shock daggers drawn, I grab the hilt of the shock blade strapped to my back, slowly walking towards them. As soon as the first is within range, I remove its right arm with a swift cut, before cutting off the head as well. Before the last one has time to react, my blade is already buried in its chest.

I turn to look at Draksis, only to realize that two Captains are running against me. Sheathing my shock blade, I focus my Light until I can feel the handle of a pistol in my right hand. I raise the golden, flaming gun and fire a shot straight into the leftmost Captain, disintegrating it to ash, before firing at the other one as well. After they both are reduced to piles of cinders, I take careful aim at Draksis' upper chest and pull the trigger. Just before the beam of fiery light makes contact, he ducks, making it hit his shrapnel launcher instead. He quickly drops the weapon that now falls apart in his hands, before drawing two shock blades. I barely have time to draw my own before he lunges at me with a primal roar.

As our blades make contact, I immediately feel myself being pushed back. He is much stronger than me, but I can't give up. I have to defeat him, if not for my own survival, then for the survival of everyone else. As he draws back for another strike, I quickly sidestep before lunging at his right shoulders. Before I hit, however, he brings his blades back up and blocks my strike. He's fast, too. I bring my blade up just as he hits me with all his might, sending me flying across the ground. As I struggle to get back on my feet, he charges at me with both blades raised. Just as he is about to slice me in two, Karaks intercepts his shock blades with her own, before knocking him backwards, giving me just enough time to recover. We stand side by side as Draksis rushes back at us. As he swings at us, I dodge to the left and strike against his legs, however he once again blocks my attack. As he swings at me again I catch his blade on mine, knock it back and lunge at his lower arm, only to have it parried again. Seeing as he only uses one sword, I can assume that Karaks is keeping him busy on his right.

<You know we don't need to kill him, we just need him to leave. Don't let your personal vendetta ruin our one chance at this Prime.>

I block yet another attack, and respond through whatever the Exo-equivalent of gritted teeth would be.

"I know. But killing him is a bonus, and I'll do my best to achieve it!"

Just as I prepare to push his blade back, his lower arm punches me in the shoulder. I stumble backwards just as a Captain leaps at me, shock blades raised. I block and decapitate it without even thinking, and run back towards Draksis, who has currently turned his sole attention to Karaks. Just as he prepares to swing at her, I grab one of the hilts with my free hand and yank it out of his grasp. As the massive Kell turns around to face me, I roll between his legs and stand alongside Karaks. Before we have the chance to attack, however, Draksis spins around and send us both flying with his only blade. Attempting to get to my feet, he uppercuts me with his now free hand, knocking both blades out of my grasp. Midair, I see everything like a still picture; Karaks eliminating a Vandal that jumped her, while a wire rifle shot hits the head of another one behind her. All around us, the Devil Claw are taking out the remaining Dregs and Vandals. And in the middle of everything is Draksis, calmly walking towards me. I slam into the ground, dust rising from the impact.

"Angel, *cough*, give the word. Drop the package..."

<Are you sure? Walkers aren't exactly plentif->

"Just do it! We need all the firepower we can get here!"

I struggle to stand up before falling down on one knee, keeping my balance with my right hand. I look up to see Draksis standing over me, laughing.

"So, is this all the new "Kell" can muster? Not even able to beat me with four blades when I have but one? You are not even worthy to be called a Dreg."

If I was an actual Eliksni, that would have hurt my pride deeply. But I am too focused at what's ahead. I'll only get one chance at this.

"Perhaps. But if I am to die, I will do so standing, eye to eye. Or is the House of Winter completely without honor and respect?"

I can tell that my comment makes him quiver with rage. Even if the House of Winter has no honor anymore in reality, they still think highly of themselves.

"House Winter has more honor than you long-dead ghouls will ever know! If those are your last words, then stand up! And let my face be the last thing your pathetic eyes ever see!"

I manage to get to my feet, and look him dead in the center eyes as he draws back his shock blade. In the corner of my vision I can see Karaks turning towards us. Too far away. She'll never reach us in time.

"NOW DIE!"

I gasp as the blade penetrates my chest. Plates, servos and wires all get cut apart like paper. Oil spills onto Draksis' blade. In the distance, I can hear Karaks' scream, full of pain. This probably hurt her more than me. I look back up to meet Draksis' gaze.

"But if I'm already long-dead..."

I grab the blade and pull myself further in. I can feel it coming out of my back now. The pain is almost unbearable.

"...how can you kill me?"

I reach down toward my left leg, and feel the familiar rod of metal. I grab it and thrust my shock dagger straight into Draksis' right central eye. He instantly lets go of the blade I'm stuck on, and I fall backwards to the ground, the impact knocking the shock blade back out. Dark edges appear in my vision. I see Draksis screaming in rage and pain as the remaining Captains and Vandals rush to his side, only to be shot down by Soralkis and the others. I see a Devil skiff dropping down a Walker that opens fire on Draksis, who begins to run back toward a parked Winter skiff. I see Karaks above me, holding my body, yelling my name. I see Angel hovering beside her, waiting for the inevitable to happen. And then everything turn black.

And with the familiar flash of light, I open my eyes again. Karaks is still holding me in her arms, a look of desperation on her face. I look down to where the shock blade had cut me open, seeing only my armor completely intact. The wonders of the Light.

"Draco! Are you alright?"

I raise my head and look straight at Karaks. I swear she would be crying if Eliksni were physically capable of it.

"I'm fine. What's the situation?"

As I struggle to get to my feet, Karaks grab my shoulders and help me up. As soon as I'm standing she embraces me tightly. I should never have scared her like I did, but I had no choice left. It was the only thing to do keep Draksis from slaughtering everyone else before I was revived. She eventually lets go, and we look around the battlefield. Not far away, the Kell is struggling to get to the landed skiff. Numerous Captains surround it, ready to provide open fire on us at his word. I yell as loud as I can, to make sure he hears me.

"Give it up, Draksis. It's over."

He turns to look at us, and growls angrily.

"No, wretched ghoul. This... is far from over. You will know when it is over, and it will feel much, _much_ , different."

His tone is unusually low and dark. He must be seething with anger. Before Karaks can raise her shock pistols at him, he teleports inside the skiff, shortly followed by the Captains, and it promptly blasts off into the sky.

"So, Winter lives to fight another day. I presume all the survivors fled with their Kell?"

Karaks holsters her pistols and crosses her arms. A little gesture she picked up from me a while ago.

"Most of them got away. But not _all_ off them..."

She turns to look at something, and I follow her gaze. There, in front of the Walker and restrained by two Claws, is a Winter member. And not just any ordinary Captain either. This one is a Baron. He will definitely know the location of the Prime. I grab my shock blade lying on the ground, and holster it on my back. A few meters away I see my shock dagger, stained with ether. Draksis will never forget this humiliating defeat. Just as well. Now he has a reason to both fear and hate me and my crew.

"He has refused to say anything, but I think you may be able to make him talk."

I kneel before the Baron and look him in the eye.

"Thank you, Karaks. I think I'll have a little, "chat", with him. You go make sure Fokak and Karrhis arrive safely."

Karaks walks over to some other Vandals, and I turn back to the prisoner. Long ago, before the Collapse, before the Golden Age, you were supposed to treat prisoners of war with respect. But that was centuries ago. And the House of Winter would never play by those rules either.

"Alright, let me tell you how it is. I know you can talk English, seeing how you reacted to me and Karaks' conversation. And you are a Baron, which means you know where what we want is located. So, we got two options; either you tell me what I want to know-"

"Never! I no help you! You dead thing, lead traitors. Why I talk?"

His English could be way better, but he should be able to make himself understood. This was better than I had hoped. I draw one of my throwing knifes and twirl it between my fingers.

"You see, if you don't talk, we'll make you talk. First, we'll take your lower arms. Dock you like a Dreg..."

His eyes widen at the threat. Excellent. He is afraid of me.

"...then maybe we'll cut off your upper arms too. Perhaps the legs. Or, we could do both. After that, we could remove your eyes, one by one."

He is shaking now. So much for the honor of House Winter. A Baron, willing to spill their secrets just because of a few threats.

"Oh, but don't worry, we have a great doctor. She'll make sure you don't die. Unfortunately, we can't waste any medical supplies on you, so you'll feel all the pain. I'm sure you understand."

"Fine! I tell! No docking! I tell you want know!"

I smile beneath my helmet and put away the knife. Hopefully, that makes him calm enough to tell the truth.

"Good. Let's begin with your name. What is it?"

He lowers his head, visibly ashamed.

"Grayliks. I Grayliks, Winter Baron."

"Grayliks, huh? That wasn't so hard, was it? Now, we're looking for an old Prime Servitor. Not Simiks Prime, but another one. Much older. We know you have it."

His next words are muttered, his voice filled with indifference. He has clearly given up.

"Right side, second platform. This place storage. Much salvage."

Storage? This place might contain a lot more valuable items than we thought.

"Storage, you say. Any weapons? Pikes, skiffs, Walkers? Spare parts as well, perhaps?"

A growl rumbles from his throat, but he starts talking as soon as I place my hand at the grip of one of my knives.

"Weapons left side, first platform. Pikes and Walkers second platform. No skiffs here."

No Skiffs. That's disappointing. Still, he upheld his end of the bargain and more. Time to show that we are not merciless savages.

"Thank you, Grayliks. Now, since you helped us, we'll let you go free. Take one of the Pikes and go wherever you'd like. We won't follow you. But you will not be taking any weapons with you, understand?"

He simply nods. I look to the two Vandals watching him. They seem eager to end the Winter Baron's life right here. But a promise is a promise.

"Keep him restrained for now. As soon as we find what we want, let him go. But if he tries anything, don't hesitate to put him down."

To my left, a skiff wearing the familiar crimson colors of the Devils come to a halt two meters above the ground.

"Alright then. Time to get to work."


	6. The Junkyard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Devil outcasts have finally located the resting place of the old Prime Servitor... but finding it proves to be extremely time-consuming.

As soon as Karrhis and Fokak emerge from the skiff, both me and Karaks walk over to them. Fokak, our Chief Engineer, is just a short Vandal, but Karrhis is almost as tall as Draksis. He was an Archon Rising back with the Devils, second-in-command to Riksis, the Devil Archon. Together, I'm sure these two will find a way to reactivate the Prime.

<Draco, Vorhass would like to come down and inspect the weapons the Baron claims is stored here.>

Vorhass, the Armory Overseer. I should have expected that he would want to check on the weapons personally. He always prides himself on keeping every firearm in top condition, from scorch cannons to shock daggers.

"Very well, he won't be doing us any good up there right now anyway. Let him know that he's free to join us."

Angel disappears in a flash while we start walking toward the right side of the canyon. The second platform is larger and more barricaded than any of the others. A good sign. They were clearly keeping something important in there. As we step inside the cave the platform is connected to, Karrhis walks up to me.

"Draco, how do you know that Baron is telling us the truth? He could be leading us into a trap!"

I simply continue walking while looking forward, my eyes scanning for possible web mines, shock grenades or worse.

"He knows what will happen if he does not tell the truth. He will be cut apart, slowly. The House of Winter still lacks any semblance of honor. And that is what makes interrogating them so much easier. In those moments, they are more focused on saving themselves than to maintain loyalty to their banner."

Karrhis nods thoughtfully, and I can only assume my answer satisfied his curiosity.

"House Devils value loyalty above all. I had to pledge mine to my Archon, Riksis, our Archon Priest, Aksis, and Sepiks Prime. But they were all blinded by their faith. They could not see that the Great Machine was right in front of us, and we only needed to make peace with your kind. Therefore, I swore my loyalty to you and Karaks. Because I believe you can bring us that peace."

I'm slightly shocked at this. Karrhis has never opened up like this before. And I have never heard him speak of Aksis, either. I knew he was the Devil Archon Priest, but no one had ever said anything about him before. This could only mean that he trusts me more than ever.

"It is my hope to not only bring peace to the Devils, but all Eliksni in the system, Karrhis. Together we stand a much greater chance at surviving than if we fight each other. I only hope that the other Houses will realize that as well."

The cave just keeps on going into the distance. Why do the House of Winter always chose to put away their stuff in the longest tunnels in the entire system?

"You mentioned Aksis. I know he's the Archon Priest, but what else can you tell me?"

I hear Karrhis sigh, and I do not inquire further. It seems like he doesn't want to talk about him. There could be a lot of bad memories buried within that name.

"Aksis is... ambitious..."

Or perhaps I was wrong. Karrhis is still looking down, but at least he's talking. Just have to keep the ball rolling.

"Ambitious? How so?"

"Aksis desires something greater than serving a machine-god. In secret he works with Kovik, the leader of our House's Splicers, to find a way to ascend. He wants to... _become_ a god himself."

This is troubling. Perhaps I underestimated how dangerous the Devils really are. If this Archon Priest actually finds a way to become a machine-god himself, what's to keep other Eliksni from doing the same? They might be able to unite once again. And if we were barely able to survive Twilight Gap, how can we hope of surviving an even bigger army of half-organic, half-machine Fallen?

I shake my head to will away the dreadful thoughts. There is no way they would find anything that could actually turn them into machines. If there were such a thing, perhaps a Golden Age tech, the Tower, the Vanguard and the Cryptarchy would have records of it. Nothing but a fear without a reason.

"And do you think he could do it? Do you think Aksis could become a machine-god, like Sepiks, Simiks or Kaliks?"

Karrhis goes silent. I guess he's pondering the possibility, before he turns to look at me.

"No. I do not think he can. It is an impossible goal.  And even if he did, the House of Devils would surely strike him down, as Solkis would no doubt brand him as a "heretic" for attempting to claim the title of god. He would be executed in front of every Baron, every Dreg, of the House. And his corpse would be refined into Ether by Sepiks Prime himself. To prove that the title of "god" is something one cannot achieve. And to dissuade anyone else from questioning the strength of their Kell."

Interesting. So Solkis would execute anyone he perceived as a threat to his mantle of Devil Kell. But is it because of his dedication, his loyalty to the House? Or is it simply because he wants the full, unquestionable command of it?

"Up ahead. A larger room, I think."

Karaks' voice snaps me out of my chain of thoughts. She's right, to o ; about twenty meters ahead of us, the cave opens up into a more spacious cavern. We step into it, temporarily blinded by the lights installed in the room. Which is filled with mechanical parts, gadgets and cyan tarps covering crates and other, bigger technological doohickeys. Finding a Prime in this mess might take a while.

"Like a needle in a haystack..."

Fokak looks at me questioningly while Karaks  lets her shoulders sink. Karrhis simply looks at the towers of metal and wires, not certain where to even begin looking. In a flash of light, Angel  materializes beside me.

<Well, Vorhass has began transporting the weapons and vehicles back to the ketch. I've never seen him as happy as he is now. How's it going...>

She turns and notices the daunting task ahead of us.

<..here. Well... That's a lot of stuff. And I mean a LOT of it.>

"We are very much aware, Angel. Thanks for the update."

<You know, I could run a scan for traces of ether. Hopefully that will narrow down the area>

"Sure thing. Go ahead, see if you pick anything up."

Angel flies into the middle of the room, and expands into a ball of blue light, sending out pulses to scan the giant piles of tech and scrap ahead of us.

<Oka y... Almost...  Alright, got it. There are four different places that contain traces of ether. You'll have to check all of them to find the correct one. Marking them now.>

Not a second passes before four different spots is marked with beams of light.

"Alright then, let's get to it. We'll search one spot each, and let the rest of us know when you find what is giving off the ether emissions."

Karaks heads toward the leftmost pile, while Fokak and Karrhis take the two on the right. I jog to the last area and start removing old Golden Age tech, pieces of scrap metal and even some dusty old Khvostov 7G-02 rifles. If they weren't rusted beyond recovery, they could have proven useful.

"Well, just some old,  ruined ether tanks here."

Karrhis hasn't found anything exciting, then. I grab what appears to once have been a car door and toss it away, while Karrhis walks over towards Karaks and helps excavate that mound. I keep at it, discovering more car  doors , some old Warsat  parts and even an old shield that breaks apart as soon as I grab it. Too bad. It could have made an excellent ornament somewhere. Behind me I hear Karaks yell out.

"I think I found it! Here it i-... wait... just a normal Servitor."

I return to my own pile while she growls in frustration. It has to be one of these last two piles. Either that, or that Baron was lying. He didn't seem to like the idea of a slow, painful death at the hands of Gersiks, though.

Karrhis walks over to Fokak, and Karaks arrives at my side, aiding me in removing the metal and whatnot that this enormous pile was comprised of. Why would the House of Winter ever need this amount of useless, broken technology or vast piles of scrap metal?

"Does anyone else feel like we just found Winter's garbage dump?"

<It seems like this was supposed to be a storage place for scrap metal. Maybe they were planning to reuse it, you know, melt it down and construct more weapons or Walkers out of it.>

That does seem plausible. But it doesn't make our job of searching through it easier.

 

After almost two hours of digging and tossing and more digging, I'm on the verge of giving up, and it is quite obvious the others are too. Surely if there was a Prime here, we'd have found it by now? Unless it was one of the first things stored in here, in which case it would be at the very bottom.  I finally reach the exact place of the ether readings in my mound.

"Okay, let's see what we have here..."

Together, me and Karaks lift up a large crate with the colors of the House of Kings. Did Winter actually steal this from them? Or did they simply find an old, unused crate with their colors and repurpose it? I wrench of the top and peek inside. It is filled to the brim with ether seeds. Maybe someone's secret stash, hidden away in a place none but the desperate would look? A good find, but not at all what we are looking for.

"Then it has to be the last pile. Let's get this done!"

Me and Karaks walk over to where the two other Eliksni are searching, and together we rummage through everything at incredible speed. Then again, fourteen arms are better than two. In just a few minutes we hit something beneath the remains of an old Pike. Something solid and huge. Fokak sticks his head down into the pile and examines the object.

"Hmmm... Very advanced technology... Clever wiring patterns... Large and rounded... This is definitely a Prime!"

With renewed vigor we clear the remaining scrap in minutes, and an old, slightly damaged Prime Servitor lies before us, it's lights completely black. No signs of power.

"How did it even get in here? It is way too big for that small cave"

Karaks has a point. A Prime would never have found a way into this cavern without another, larger cave. And without it, there would be no way to bring it back out either. But it must have gotten in here somehow.

"Angel, another scan. Look for other, hidden caves, openings, anything large enough for a Prime to fit through."

She blinks once and expands yet again, pulses running up the walls and across the ceiling. Nothing can hide from a Ghost's scan. Not even cave openings that are centuries old.

<Hm... It seems the top of this cavern is actually metal. The opening is directly above us! The House of Winter must have placed a massive plate over it to hide this room from above.>

"Well, that's the way out for our Prime. Fokak! Do you think  you can get it working again?"

The Vandal looks around the room before focusing his attention at the disabled Prime. Then he chuckles to himself.

"Do not worry! I have all the parts I will need right here in this room!"

Finally a good use for these piles of junk. I should have guessed it would be worth something when it came to repairs. Maybe that's why Winter kept it around. It makes a lot more sense now.

After another hour of waiting and watching Fokak run back and forth between the massive Servitor and the various heaps of scrap and salvage, the Prime looks almost as good as new, except for the eye. It should be a deep purple, but is still black.

"Fokak, is it ready to be activated? Can it be activated at all?"

"Yes, yes, but that is something only Karrhis can do. Not because I think any of us doing it would be "meddling" or "heresy", but because only Archons know how to do it."

As if on cue, Karrhis walks over to the Prime, looking directly at his eye, before putting his hand on it and... concentrating? Talking? Instructions or commands, perhaps. Suddenly, the eye flickers to life, and the Prime hovers slightly above the ground. Then, with a very machine-like roar, it reconfigures it shell before reassembling again, and turning its attention to us.

++I AM SYRIKS PRIME, PRIME SERVITOR OF THE HOUSE OF SCAR. WHO ARE YOU?- -

I step forward, feeling that the three Eliksni in the room clearly would want me to.

"I am Draco-192, a Guardian of the Last City. These are but three of the Eliksni I seek to protect; Karaks, Fokak and Karrhis.  Together, we managed to repair and reactivate you."

\- - WHAT LAST CITY DO YOU SPEAK OF? AND WHAT HOUSE DO YOU BELONG TO? WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THE HOUSE OF SCAR?++

"The Last City of humanity, protected by the Great Machine. I am a Guardian, blessed with the Machine's gifts. And we do not belong to any House. We are outcast from the House of Devils. We attempted to bring peace between the City and the Devils, but Solkis, the Devil Kell, has become blind with hate over the years. We managed to take a ketch and escape, and have been searching for a Prime for a long time. As for the House of Scar, I don't know what happened..."

Karaks steps forward as well, standing beside me.

"I am sorry, great Prime, but the House of Scar was destroyed long ago by the House of Winter. The tales speak of a Scar Kell that wanted peace with the City, but the Winter Kell would not stand for it. They were destroyed in just a few battles, and the survivors who surrendered were integrated into House Winter. Scar is no more..."

The Prime shuddered, as if remembering something horrible, before gazing at us again.

++I REMEMBER... I REMEMBER NOW. I HID IN THIS CAVE AFTER OUR KELL WAS KILLED, WAITING FOR THE DAY WHEN SCAR WOULD RISE AGAIN. BUT IT SEEMS THAT WHILE I WAS HERE, WINTER FOUND ME AND DEACTIVATED ME. I NO LONGER HAVE A HOUSE TO SUPPORT. - -

For some reason, I feel sorry for the giant, floating machine in front of us. Then again, the Servitors were created by the Traveler, just like our Ghosts. Of course they would both be fully sentient. Artificial lifeforms, as Angel would put it.

"Then help us."

I turn my head to see Karrhis stepping forward as well, coming to a halt in front of me and Karaks.

"We are in desperate need of  e ther. When we left, no Servitors joined us.  We are dying. And we cannot run our ketch properly without a Servitor. So I, no, WE beg you. Help us, and maybe together we can bring peace to the Eliksni. Both between houses, and with humanity."

\- - Y OU BELIEVE YOU CAN BRING PEACE TO NOT JUST ELIKSNI, BUT BOTH?++

Karrhis looks back at me. I glance at Karaks, who cheerfully nods. I then turn my attention back to Syriks Prime.

"It is not guaranteed that we will succeed. But it is something worth fighting for. And if necessary, dying for."

A long silence follows, until Syriks finally responds.

++THEN I WILL HELP YOU ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL. FIRST OF ALL, YOU WILL NEED A PILOT SERVITOR FOR THE KETCH. WITH THE AMOUNT OF RESOURCES PRESENT, I CAN EASILY CREATE ONE RIGHT NOW. - -

We stand and watch as the giant Servitor starts processing the scrap metal into glimmer, then begins converting the glimmer into the frame of a Pilot Servitor. First the shell, then the core, and finally, wiring to connect everything. With a final jolt, it flickers to life.

\--Pilot Servitor, designation: Syriks-1, standing by--

It sounds a lot more robotic than other Servitors. I can only assume it has not developed a personality yet.

\- -WHERE IS YOUR KETCH LOCATED?++

"It is currently in orbit right above us, but the House of Winter have sealed the top of this cavern. And it is the only way large enough for you to get out of here."

Syriks Prime looks up towards where the thick, metal plate covers the opening. Without a word, it opens fire and melts through the metal as easily as an  A rc Blade through flesh.  Both Servitors begin to make their way up toward the sky.

"Angel, tell Rahn that we have two guests coming his way. And let the Vandals outside know that they can release Grayliks. I assume Vorhass has finished his work?"

<Long ago. Transporting Pikes, Walkers and a ton of weapons are surprisingly much easier than rooting around in a junkyard, looking for an old robot.>

"Alright fellas. Let's head on back. But this time, let's call a skiff, shall we?"


	7. The Twilight Gap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back onboard the ketch, Draco and the outcasts recieve Luna's blessing. Unfortunately, this causes the Hunter's past to haunt him once more.

Back on the ketch ether is finally flowing as normal throughout the ventilation. The entire crew, save for those still in the medbay, are up and walking. And from what I can gather, most are celebrating me and Karaks as heroes. In addition, I have something special in mind. Rahn and Karaks are both with me on the bridge currently, but this is something all of the most important crewmembers must hear in person. The rest will have it delivered over the ship's intercom.

"Angel, contact Karrhis, Riksor, Gersiks, Nireks, Vorhass, Fokak and Droksas. Tell them to meet here at the bridge as soon as they can."

About nine minutes later, they are all gathered before me. Latest to join us was Gersiks, but her work is important enough for the rest of us to wait for.

"As you all know by now, we finally found what we were looking for. A Prime Servitor, willing to help in our cause. As thanks to Syriks Prime for assisting us, Karaks, Rahn and I have decided to rename this ship to the Syriks-fel, so that we will never forget this day."

The Eliksni before me cheer, and I can hear more of it throughout the ship. Not a bad call at all, Rahn. Not bad. Suddenly Karaks walks up next to me, and address the crew as well.

"But we would never have made it this far without Draco. We may be outcasts and rebels, but we have a purpose. We do not need the House of Devils to achieve our goals. From today, we will follow a new Kell. And that Kell is the one who saved us all, who showed us that we could choose a different path. Therefore, I hereby pronounce Draco as our new Kell!"

I expected more cheering, but instead everyone, including Karaks, kneel before me. And it just doesn't feel right.

"Everyone, I'm honored beyond words. But you should not kneel before me. I am not worth any more than any of you are."

I wait for them all to rise again before continuing.

"Well, I assume that if I am to be a Kell, I would need a name other than Draco-192, right? Something a little more... Eliksni. To show that I truly am on your side. So, from today, you may call me Drakson!"

More cheering. At least I'm doing this right.

"And my first action as Kell, is to appoint Karaks to the rank of Baroness, and as my second-in-command. As a thanks for her unwavering loyalty to our cause. And for always being there when I need someone I can count on."

As cheering erupts once again, Karaks is shocked by my announcement. After a few seconds she shakes her head slightly, and walk up to me. I was expecting her to give me her blade or something more ritual-like, but instead she hugs me tightly, and I gladly return her embrace as the onlookers cheer even more. I do feel kind of awkward showing my affection for her in front of everyone, but then again, our feelings were quite obvious. They were no doubt waiting for it to happen.

"BUT WHAT IS A KELL WITHOUT A HOUSE TO FOLLOW HIM?"

A deep purple light suddenly shines across the bridge. I let go of Karaks as both we and everyone else turn toward the radiating being before us. For some reason, it seems very familiar; a radiant, horse-like figure with both wings and a horn made completely out of the purple light of the Void, with a glittering, flowing mane and tail like a starry night sky. Around her neck is a collar with a shining white crescent moon emblazoned across it. I instinctively kneel, as does everyone else around me.

"I HAVE GUIDED YOU TO YOUR PRIME, AS I PROMISED. NOW, I HAVE A PROPOSITION FOR YOU. ONE THAT WILL AID YOU EVEN MORE."

A proposition? An offer, or bargain? What could Luna possibly want from us?

"I WILL GRANT YOU THE POWERS OF VOID. WITH IT, YOU CAN MORE EASILY BRING PEACE BETWEEN THE LAST CITY AND THE ELIKSNI, AND ALL CAN BASK AND PROSPER IN MY CREATOR'S GLORIOUS LIGHT. ALL I ASK IN RETURN IS THAT YOU SERVE ME WHEN I NEED IT. AND SHOULD I CALL UPON YOU TO FIGHT THE DARKNESS, YOU MUST ANSWER."

That seems like a fair and logical deal to me. I stand back up and look at her glowing eyes. Just gazing at them... it makes me feel that what I'm about to do is right. It makes me feel full of determination.

"Then we shall fight in your name, Luna. We shall fight, not as outcasts, but as a House. The House of Night!"

I can clearly see Luna smile. I am certain I made the right decision.

"THE HOUSE OF NIGHT? YOU EVEN NAME YOURSELF IN MY HONOR? VERY WELL THEN. DRAKSON, KELL OF NIGHT, YOU WILL LEAD THIS HOUSE TO VICTORY. AND KNOW THAT EVEN THOUGH YOU WILL ENCOUNTER OBSTACLES, YOU WILL NOT FAIL. NOT AS LONG AS YOU HAVE THE REST OF YOUR HOUSE... AND THE ONE YOU SO CLEARLY LOVE."

With those last words I look over at Karaks and feel slightly embarrased. So even Luna knew about it. Even she thought it was obvious. But as long as Karaks is by my side, I know we can achive our goal for peace.

"NOW ACCEPT MY GIFT, AND MAY YOUR DETERMINATION AND LOYALTY NEVER FALTER..."

She disappears as a flash of Void light encompasses the room. As it passes through me, I fall to the floor, feeling a strange sensation coursing through my body... One I have not felt since... No, it can't be... The Gap? That's... impossible... Ana?

 

The Fallen are coming at us from all sides. Me and Ana are standing back to back, firing our weapons, throwing both grenades and knives. But it's like an unending flood, pouring in from every direction. We can not push it back, only halt it.

"Draco! Left!"

I duck just as she fires her hand cannon above my head, taking out a Stealth Vandal that crept up on me. How did I not spot that? These Winter bastards are getting more and more bold. And they just don't stop coming either.

"How are we gonna push them back? Shaxx said he had a plan!"

I empty my shrapnel launcher again, reload while simultaneously stabbing down a Dreg, and resume firing. At this rate we'll be fighting with nothing but fists, knives and Light very soon.

"Shaxx also said he'd be bringing reinforcements. So far, I haven't seen squat of any Titans!"

Her voice is difficult to hear over all the gunfire and explosions. In the distance, the City's artillery emplacements is firing against the Fallen Walkers. The Fallen must not take the Wall, or the City will surely fall to their armies. My helmet's radio crackles to life as I cut down a Captain who got too brave.

"Draco, Bray! This is Shaxx, I'm heading towards your position. What's your status?"

I can hear shotgun blasts in the distance. Shaxx has finally arrived. About time.

"Status? Drowning in Fallen scum, that's what! We need assistance!"

I begin reloading my shrapnel launcher just as another Vandal lunges at me. I drop it and draw my shock pistol instead, firing straight into its face.

"Well, there are tons of them here as well. Could take a few minutes before I get there. Just try to hold out!"

I can feel my rage building, like a fire deep down inside. I raise my hand to summon my Golden Gun, but instead a purple bow loaded with an arrow appears instead. With no time to question how or why, I draw back and fire at the closest Dreg. It disappears in a flash of Void Light, and then streams of Void reach out to all the other Fallen nearby, locking them in place. Another arrow appears in my hand

"What the...?"

I nock, draw and fire once more, removing a Captain from existence and once again trapping the remaining enemies. I quickly turn towards my closest friend.

"Ana! Try using your Golden Gun!"

She cuts down a Dreg and nods, willing forth an actual Golden Gun. She fires at a Captain, disintegrating it... and lighting the ground on fire with Solar energy. Three Dregs that were too slow quickly burn to ashes inside the circle of fire. Ana looks at me in surprise.

"How...?"

I fire another arrow into the tidal wave of Fallen, trapping yet another group.

"Don't question! Just fire!"

She turns back to the Fallen approaching, and she fires again... and again... and again... and again? A Golden Gun only has enough power for three shoots. How is she firing even more? Nevermind, questions for later. My radio crackles again.

"Draco? Bray? I could use some, get off! Where'd you go?! Some help! And fast, this bastard is quick! I can't seem to-"

I hear a final blast, and the radio goes dead. This is bad. Very bad. If something got Shaxx, it has to be deadly. He's one of the best Guardians we have. Lord Saladin even trained him personally!

"Damn! Ana, can you manage on your own? I need to get to Shaxx!"

Her Golden Gun fires two more times before she responds.

"Go! I've got this covered for now!"

I start a sprint towards where I heard the shotgun blasts, cutting down any Fallen in the way with my shock blade. I turn a corner and crash straight into a Captain. He barely has time to roar before I slash his head clean off. I run down a corridor, eliminating the two Dregs attempting to hide, and end up at a platform. The first thing I notice is a Devil Captain... running away? I then notice that it's carrying a smaller Vandal in its arms. Odd. Without giving it a second thought, I raise my shock pistol and aim at the Captain's head. Why should I show mercy to one of the City's greatest enemies? And yet, I hesitate. I can feel the trigger under my finger, but I do not pull it further. Why? I look at the Captain again, and feel a sense of... pride? For what? That a superior would abandon a battle to rescue a wounded subordinate most would consider cannon fodder? I lower my arm, and watch them disappear behind a corner. I then turn my attention to Shaxx, who is lying at the ground. His helmet is slightly dented at the right side. Seems to have been from a shock blade. Finally, I notice half of a Fallen arm and the very blade lying a few meters from Shaxx. Were those from the Vandal? Did it knock out Shaxx? And is that why the Captain carried it away? I shake my head and attempt to get Shaxx to his feet.

"Guh... what? Draco? What happened?"

He manages to stand on his own, so I start running back where I came from

"I'll tell you later. Just retake the west tower, alright?"

I leg it back down the corridor, and around the corner where the headless Captain is lying. Ana is still firing her Golden Gun. I reach her just as the last enemy falls.

"Draco! Did you find Shaxx?"

Her Ghost, Jinju, pops out to scan the area as she wills her Golden Gun away.

"Yeah, he's fine. Got cold-clocked, but he'll live. I see you got the situation under control?"

Before she can answer the wall next to us explodes. Everything is a blur of fire, smoke, shrapnel and pieces of concrete. I crash down on the ground, and stumble to my feet.

"Angel! What the hell was that?"

She flashes into existence next to me.

<According to the radio chatter, one of the Winter Walkers missed the artillery by a mile. I assume that's the one that hit us instead.>

So, a miss. Or, technically a hit, seeing as it knocked down me and-

"Ana!"

I quickly survey the area, and find her lying about ten meters left of me. I rush over to check on her, and only then do I see the jagged metal piece sticking out of her abdomen. The area around it is covered with blood already. Luckily, she's a Guardian. We don't really die. Not as long as we have our Ghosts. I wait for a few seconds, expecting him to pop up and prepare for resurrection, but nothing happens.

"Angel? Where's Jinju? Why isn't he here?"

Panic worms its way into my voice. Where could he be? Angel runs a quick scan of the area before slowly drifting over to us.

<I'm... detecting traces of Light and machinery... all over the impact area and the debris. It seems like... he was shattered by the blast.>

What?! Jinju is dead? I look back at Ana, who has removed her helmet. Her nose is bleeding too. She must have taken a very hard hit. As I watch, she raises her hand towards me.

"Draco..."

I grab her hand with both of mine. If Exos could cry, I would be sitting in a river by now.

"It's alright, Ana. It's alright. You're gonna be fine, I swear. You'll be fine."

She smiles, then starts coughing. I can see some drops of blood too. She's not gonna make it. But she has to. She has to!

"You and I... both know that's... not going to happen. My Ghost... is destroyed. I'm dying. I won't be... I won't be coming back... from this one."

I squeeze her hand and close my eyes. This can't be happening!

"No, no, no no no. You'll come back. You have to! You're gonna be fine... You're gonna be fine..."

I open my eyes, and she's smiling again. But her eyes are sad. She knows the truth. It is me who won't accept it. She lets go of my hands and reach up to her neck. With some struggle, she removes her cloak and fold it up in her hands. She then places it in mine.

"Promise me... that you'll live on. That you will... bring peace to the City... to everyone..."

She places her hand on mine once again, and I grab it.

"I promise. I will bring peace. But I can't do it without you! I don't know how to do it without you..."

"You'll find a way... I... I believe in you... my old friend..."

Her grip loosens. I look at her once more. Her eyes are staring into the distance. She has stopped breathing. I lean forward and close her eyes.

"Rest easy, my friend. I will avenge you. And one day, I will see you again."

I can feel my sorrow quickly turning into rage. Anastasia Bray was the one true friend I had. And the House of Winter ripped her away from me! Just like they took everything I had centuries before! I hear footsteps behind me. Not Fallen, though. Guardian. A Titan, judging by the weight.

"Draco, Bray! The Fallen are routed! We have won! We are... Oh, no..."

Shaxx's voice quickly fades as he notices Ana's body on the floor, lifeless. I look down at the cloak still in my hand, and I grasp it firmly before gently lifting up her body. As I walk over to the edge of the platform we were on, I can see the Fallen pulling back. We won. But at what cost? I gaze down at the cloak in my hand, then at my oldest friend, eyes closed with a smile still on her face. So peaceful, as if she's sleeping. I return my focus to the retreating masses of the House of Winter. One day, I'll kill their cursed Kell. For all he did to me... and to Ana. I take a last look at her face. One day.

 

I come to, feeling very lightheaded. As I open my eyes, the first thing I see is Karaks, holding me in her arms. Strange. I could swear her eyes are... purple?

"Draco. It's okay. Everyone is fine. You were just knocked out cold by the energy."

I manage to bring myself to a sitting position, with Karaks still supporting me. Just like she said, everyone on the bridge are fine. How come I was the only one to be knocked out?

"How... How long was I out?"

The sensation is still there. Like a fire burning inside me. Like Solar Light, but different. But also familiar.

"Just a few minutes. But we were getting worried about you. It's like you were completely, well, shut down."

I look down at my hands, open and outstretched. For a second, purple flames dance around in my palm before disappearing again. Am I hallucinating? Did that pulse do something to my optical sensors?

"Ana..."

Angel floats up in front of my face, looking me in the eyes.

<Draco... are you alright? Your Light feels... different, somehow.>

"I feel fine, just slightly dizzy. What do you mean my light is "different"? Different how?"

Angel hovers over me, her blue eye scanning my entire body. The burning feeling grows stronger by the second. It feels like I might explode.

<I'm not sure... It's just not the same as it was. Are you certain you're fine?>

I slowly get to my feet, Karaks supporting my arms all the way. I swear, it feels like I'm being roasted from the inside!

"Hold on.. I'll check... Just a second."

I focus my Light into my hand, and feel it form a familiar handle. But as I raise my Golden Gun, I stagger backwards in surprise.

<Check? Check hoWHOOAH!>

In my hand is not a Golden Gun at all, but instead a bow made of pure Void energy. I've seen it before, even used it. Only once, back at-

<The Twilight Gap! You did the same thing back then! A Void bow that fires arrows to ensnare enemies! But how did you do it now? How did you...>

"Angel, calm down. Focus. You said there was something different about my Light. Could this be the reason why?"

I hold up the Void bow, which suddenly disappears. Angel keeps whirring and floating around me, obviously trying to make sense of it.

<Brask said you found the path of the Nightstalker back at the Gap. But you did not venture further down, therefore you could not use it again. What if Luna's gift was unlocking that path for you? The Nightstalkers specialize in Void, after all...>

"Okay, okay, hold up a sec. You're saying that Luna enabled me to use the powers of the Nightstalker once more? I... suppose that makes sense. Kind of. But by gift, I thought she meant all of us. How come I'm the only one capable of this? Unless... Wait..."

I look back at Karaks again. Her eyes are definitely glowing purple instead of the usual blue. Purple like Void.

"Karaks, is it just me, or are your eyes, well, purple?"

"They are. As far as we can tell, every Eliksni onboard the ketch have purple eyes now."

<Also, they all radiate an aura of Void Light. My theory is that they received the potential to manipulate the Void energies, but they need training in order to do so. You already have access to the Light, so you could use the powers straight away.>

So, am I now in charge of a House full of Eliksni with the ability to use the powers of the Void, just like Defenders, Voidwalkers and Nightstalkers? Or am I still dreaming? I must look lost in thought, because Karaks takes hold of my hand and stares into my eyes.

"Draco, the time has finally arrived. You are our Kell now! But we need a safe location to create a lair, a place to call home. We can't spend the rest of our time on a ketch. Do you know of any such location? Somewhere our enemies would not look for us?"

A lair, right. Every House, except for the Wolves, has a lair, a base of operations. The Devils and Kings share Old Russia. Winter has the Ishtar region of Venus. And rumors of a new House on the Moon started circulating shortly after the Gap. Luckily, I know a spot neither Winter nor the Devils would look. A place long forgotten, lost to time and left to decay.

"I found a perfect place just before the Battle of Twilight Gap, actually. Angel, give Rahn the coordinates. Earth, European Dead Zone. We're heading back to the Old London Ruins. From there, I need to get to the Tower. The Vanguard won't believe this."

Angel flits over to Rahn, still stationed at the Navigation console, but is now giving directions to the Pilot Servitor in control of the ketch's systems, instead of inputting the commands himself. Shortly after, the now tuned-up engines rumble to life, and the ketch reaches near light-speed.


	8. A Vanguard Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Draco-192 meets with the Vanguard to inform them of what has transpired, but is met with skepticism.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot bring myself to actually believe what you are telling us."

Commander Zavala leans down on the table, with a stern expression.

"I'm with Zavala on this one. A Guardian becoming the Kell of a Fallen House? And finding an ancient Prime willing to work with the City? It sounds like a fairytale. Meant to lift hopes, but with almost no sliver of truth."

Ikora Rey has always been skeptical, trusting her instinct. But why do they not believe me? Of course, the story sounds far-fetched. But what else am I supposed to say?

"Ikora, c'mon. I'm sure it sounds impossible, but I've told you again and again, this Hunter right here? He works miracles. He survived a guerilla war with the House of Winter for years before hijacking a skiff and crashin' it here. You didn't believe what you heard then either, but it was true. He's one of the best Guardians I've ever met. And that's sayin' a lot."

As always, Andal Brask is the voice of Hunter reason, but what else would you expect from him? I know that both Zavala and Ikora are seasoned veterans, but they don't need to be so untrusting just because I'm a Hunter. Tensions have always been somewhat high between the classes, and a few Hunters are known to make up bombastic stories about their own exploits that are far from the truth. But that does not mean all Hunters are like that.

"With all due respect, why do you find it so hard to believe? I know the Eliksni are our enemies, but not all of them are bad. Some just want peace, like they had back on their own planet."

Zavala slams his hand down without warning and looks straight at me, anger burning behind his Awoken eyes.

"The Fallen are the biggest threat to the City! They want nothing more than our destruction! Twilight Gap proved that! And I thought you of all people would understand, after what happened to Ana Bray."

I instinctively ball my hands into fists. That ignorant, narrow-minded Titan!

"Really? Our biggest threat? Must I remind you of the Great Disaster? What Crota and his armies did to hundreds of Guardians, including Wei Ning?"

That seems to have struck a nerve. His hand curls into a fist as well, electricity crackling from within.

"How dare you? I have lived far longer than you, little Hunter! You have no idea what losing your closest friends feels like!"

I can feel the Void burn in my hand as well now. My anger is rising by the second.

"No idea?! You said yourself that I should know after Ana! Do not pretend that you know so much more than me, just because you are older! Why can't you open your damn eyes and see that there are Eliksni out there willing to help?"

I notice Ikora attempting to interrupt, but Zavala cuts her short.

"Because the Fallen are nothing but insects bent on our destruction! You Hunters are all the same, making up stories to make yourself look important and great!"

Yup. He actually went there. Before I can make my retort however, Andal manages to cut into the conversation-turned-yelling contest.

"Hey! Let's calm down, alright? Zavala, you know that ain’t true. It's like sayin’ all Titans are hotheaded brutes too focused on smashin’ things. And yet, neither me nor Ikora have ever stated that, have we? So why don't you tone it down before our friend here ties you down with a Shadowshot, eh? Because I can clearly see the purple fire formin’ in his hand."

Ikora sighs, and turn to Zavala, who is still seething with anger.

"Brask is right. This Guardian has clearly unlocked the powers of the Nightstalker yet again, but we can not know for certain if the story behind it is legitimate or not. However, prejudice and anger will not get us anywhere."

Zavala lowers his head, but does not seem to have calmed down.

"He brings up Wei Ning's death like it is trivial. What right does he have to do so?!"

Before anyone else can reply, I finally snap. I'm not going to take this hypocrisy any longer.

"What makes you think that Titans are the only one that matter?! Sure, you built the Wall, and you defend it. But you are not the only ones who die defending it! Ana died because me and her stood our ground, waiting for you Titans to arrive at the Wall! Her death is just as trivial as Wei Ning's! A casualty of war, nothing more, that's what you view Ana's demise as! But at least she didn't die in vain! What good did Wei Ning's death bring? We lost the entire moon, and she died for nothing! So do not come here and tell me that Ana does not matter! Every Guardian, whether they were Titan, Hunter or Warlock who died at the Gap, they gave their lives to protect the City! To protect all that remains of humanity!"

The room falls silent. I simply stand there, trembling with fury, watching Zavala on the opposite end of the table. Finally, his shoulders drop and he looks back up. He appears to have calmed himself down.

"You are right. Draco, I apologize for how I treated Bray's death. Many Guardians died that day, and they were all equally important. But that does not change the fact that I do not believe your story. Not because you are a Hunter, but because I can't imagine anything like it ever happening."

Andal looks over to me, shrugging and shaking his head.

"Look, I'm with you on this, Guardian. But I think you’re gonna need some proof to convince these others here."

Some proof. Like what? It's not like I can just bring an Eliksni into the City; every Guardian in the area would open fire before even wondering why it was here. However, if i can't bring the proof to them...

"Okay, you want proof? Prepare a Hawk and follow me."

 

About two hours later we are standing in the outskirts of the ruins of Old London. During the Collapse, centuries ago, the House of Devils razed the entire city to the ground. All that is left is the empty husks of once great buildings, destroyed roads full of overgrown and rusted cars, and piles of rubble and twisted metal, all reclaimed by nature. I look back at the Guardians who had joined me. Andal seems quite relaxed at everything, and Ikora is simply observing the ruins. Zavala, however, seems to be impatient and uneasy, keeping a hand on his... sidearm. He actually brought a weapon.

"Commander Zavala, I know we technically are in uncharted territory, but the gun is unneccesary. We are in no danger here."

His helmeted head turn towards me. I can only assume he's actually looking at me, and not something else in the general direction.

"We are far away from any reinforcements, and in unknown, possibly hostile, territory. I will keep my sidearm with me."

I sigh and look over to Lord Shaxx, the "Hero of Twilight Gap". He insisted on joining the expedition, even though Zavala strongly protested, I let him tag along. After all, I look forward to witnessing his reunion with Karaks and Rahn. I just hope he can exercise more self-control than Zavala has.

"Fine. But if you fire that thing even once, hit or miss, there won't be a thing I can do to save you. I may be a Guardian, but I am also a Kell, and it is my duty to protect my House against all threats. Keep that in mind."

Zavala just growls in response. It's the truth, though. If he decides to take action, both me and my House will view it as an act of aggression. And we will act accordingly.

"Let's get going then! I'm dying to meet some Fallen that won't kill me. Uh, no pun intended."

Andal seems to be in a good mood. Then again, he never liked the Tower. It's in the nature of us Hunters; we belong in the untamed wilds. The only reason he got stuck there was because he lost the Vanguard Dare. I wonder who he’s gonna challenge to do the Dare when the time comes.

"Very well then, old pal. I'll lead the way. Try not to get lost or fall down any holes. There's no telling where the sewers lead nowadays."

As we start our relatively short walk towards my new home, I notice several reflections from the snipers posted up high, watching for any unusual activity. No doubt they've spotted us by now. The only reason they hold their fire is because I'm here.

"Angel, fly on ahead. Let Karaks know I'm bringing the delegation for dinner."

She appears next to me before zooming into the city. My House knows better than to shoot at Ghosts. They are, after all, like Servitors for mankind.

Minutes pass and no one says anything. The ruined structures are quiet too, save for the dripping of water and the occasional gust of wind blowing through. I've ordered the lookouts to stay hidden in the shadows, just in case Zavala decides to go trigger-happy. But if he hurts even one of them, I'll deal with him myself. Finally, Shaxx speaks up, asking the question the other three no doubt want to ask too.

"So, how much further is this "home" of yours? I can't help but notice that there is nothing but ruins here."

I don't even bother to turn my head, but just reply while walking forward.

"Don't judge a Guardian by his armor, Shaxx. We're almost there."

We continue along in silence. Which is suddenly broken once more.

"What is that? Is that... Is that what I think it is?"

This time, I stop and turn around. Ikora is pointing at the sky between the buildings up ahead. Someone finally noticed it. Andal lifts his head as well, trying to spot whatever Ikora was talking about. I smile beneath my helmet.

"Well, I'm not a mind reader, Ikora. But if you were thinking "ketch", then you are completely right. That is the one we used to return. Now, we better wait for Angel to return, just to be sure she delivered the message."

<Actually, _I_ have been waiting for _you_. >

I spin back around and notice her floating by the corner of the next pass. How long had she been hanging around here?

"Well, we can't exactly fly at high speeds. Did you find Karaks?"

Angel quickly flies towards me, as if to prove my point.

<I did. She and Rahn are ready for the Vanguard.>

"Well then, time to show our friends what we have hidden away here."

I begin walking again, and so does the four Guardians behind me, still awestruck by the ketch hidden behind the buildings. As we round the corner, a large, open space come into view where the ketch has landed, and where dozens of Dregs, Vandals and Captains are milling about in front of an old entrance to the city's metro system.

Zavala instinctively puts his hand on the sidearm as he notices the Eliksni.

"Draco, you told us you were in charge of a new House! These are Devils!"

"Wrong. They were Devils. Then they became rebels. Outcasts. Traitors. So we formed a new House, one dedicated to bringing peace between our races. And we decided to make our home here. Welcome... to the Midnight Lair, den of the House of Night."


	9. The Midnight Lair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Draco's entourage arrives at the House of Night's lair, tensions get tricky as Zavala begins a stand-off between himself and most of the House.

As we make our way toward the metro entrance, every Eliksni in the courtyard keep a close eye on the four Guardians behind me. I can tell that the stares are making Zavala and Shaxx uneasy. Ikora seems more fascinated than anything.

"Their eyes... Why are they purple?"

"I'll explain everything in detail inside, alright? For now, let's just get there without Zavala shooting up the place. It's like he might go off at any moment."

We both look at Zavala, who hasn't let go of the sidearm on his hip yet. The fact that he is holding a gun is making tensions high. I notice that several snipers are aiming at him, waiting for him to make the wrong move. Apparently, Andal notices it as well.

"Um, hey, Zavala? Mind lettin' go of your gun for a minute? We kinda got a lot of barrels pointin' our way thanks to you..."

"What?!"

Zavala spins around, sidearm now drawn. In response, everyone in the area draw their weapons and aim at the Titan. Even if Zavala managed to pull the trigger, he would be shot apart within seconds. This is a delicate situation. I jump out in front of him, shielding him with my body.

"Woah woah woah, calm down everyone! Good ol' Zavala here doesn't mean any harm! He's just a little nervous."

A few of the Captains and Vandals lower their guns slightly. I turn to face Zavala, and grab the body of the sidearm in his hand.

"I warned you, Zavala. Now, give me the gun, or you'll spook them even more. This is why I wanted you to come unarmed."

His grip tightens even more, and in response I try to shove the gun downwards. Andal steps over to us and leans over Zavala's shoulder.

"C'mon Zavala, this ain't worth startin' a fight over. We may have potential allies here, and you wanna shoot first? That's not a great way to make friends, pal."

Zavala looks over at him, sighs and lets go of the weapon. I quickly holster it and step out of the way, letting the Eliksni see that he is now unarmed. They slowly lower their shock rifles, shock pistols and shrapnel launchers, before holstering them and returning to work.

"Now, can we just get inside without any more trouble, please? I'd hate to lose any guests before we have even gotten seated."

We walk the last few meters to the entrance, and head inside and down the old stairs. Crews of Vandals and Dregs are busy repairing leaks and patching holes, with Shanks welding together equipment that have been brought down from the ketch.

As we walk through the winding corridors, we eventually reach a large, open room with a platform that leads to train tracks on one side. An old arrival hall. In the far end is the throne that once was positioned in the ketch's bridge, but was moved down after we made this our new base. In front of it is a makeshift table with six chairs. Karaks and Rahn are standing on either side of it. I walk over to the throne and sit down while the others are standing around, taking in the view. Off to both sides of the room more work crews are sprucing up the old tunnels and hallways with lights, doors and other useful tech. I turn my attention to the four Guardians, standing flabbergasted in the middle of the room.

"Please, take a seat. Then we can talk all you want."

They do so without a word. Even Zavala seems to be distracted by everything to question why I am giving him orders. Andal, however, notices my seat. Not a detail escapes his eye.

"Hey, sweet chair. Really goes well with your armor. And the rest of the decor, too. So, you gonna introduce us to your two friends here?"

"Of course. This is Rahn, Night Baron. And on my right is Karaks, Night Baroness. They are my most trusted lieutenants. Rahn, Karaks, this is Andal Brask, Ikora Rey and Commander Zavala of the Vanguard, as well as Lord Shaxx. Speaking of, I think you may already have met these two, haven't you Shaxx?"

Shaxx tilts his head slightly, unsure what I mean. Then he apparently notices Karaks' robotic arm, and he begins to nod.

"Yes, I believe we have. Karaks, was it?"

Karaks takes her seat at my right, while looking at Shaxx.

"I am. And I remember you too. You took my arm."

"It would seem I did. I hope you're not to angry with me? I have to hand it to you, you are the only one I've ever fought who have managed to best me. You are an incredibly skilled fighter."

At this, Karaks simply bows her head, before replying.

"I am not angry anymore. We were on different sides of the battle. But now we are on the same side. So, as they say, let us let bygones be bygones."

"Sounds good to me."

So, that is finally settled. Both Karaks and Shaxx handled that much better than I thought they would. But as Karaks said, we are on the same side now.

"So, you really are a Kell of a Fallen House."

Every Eliksni in the room stops and looks at Zavala, muscles tense. I can even hear Rahn growl at him. Andal slowly leans over towards Zavala and taps his shoulder.

"So, have you noticed how you always seem to make them hate you? Can you please stop that? I'd rather leave with the same amount of Guardians as we came in with."

Zavala takes off his helmet and places it on the table, before looking at me. Both Karaks and Rahn have their hands on the holstered shock blades they carry.

"Forgive me, but I am not sure what just happened. Did I say something wrong?"

Karaks relaxes and clicks at the Vandals to resume work. Rahn eases up slightly, but keeps one hand on his blade. To my surprise, Karaks answers before I have a chance.

"As a matter of fact, it is, Kell of Titans. You name us "Fallen". To you, it is simply a name, what you call us. But to us, it is an insult. You are lucky you are among friends. If you had said that to any Devil, your head would already be rolling."

Zavala seems... shocked? Nervous? I can't tell, but he simply nods his head and stays silent. Ikora takes the word instead.

"So, you said we could talk more inside? What did you want to talk to us about? Because we can't deny it anymore, your story was true. But I think you left out some very important details when you briefed us earlier."

 

An hour later, the story is told, questions are answered and Zavala seems more relaxed, considering the present company. Andal has struck up a chat with Rahn by the entrance, and they seem to be on good terms. Ikora's curiosity has been satisfied, and Shaxx seems pleased with the outcome. In the end, he's the first that speaks up.

"Well, I think it's high time that we return to the Tower. Draco... er, I mean, Drakson. It was an honor to meet your House."

Ikora stands up as well.

"Indeed it was. I wish you good luck forward. All of you."

Finally, Zavala gets to his feet and talks for the first time since Karaks corrected him.

"Well then... You've given me a lot to think about. But in the meantime, may your enemies know your strength, and feel no mercy."

As the three walk out of the room, Andal steps over to me and pats me on the shoulder.

"Good job, Guardian. I knew you were special from the day we met."

Then he leaves as well.


	10. Journal entry 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drakson quickly sums up what has happened after the Vanguard meeting before heading off to Mars.

"Alright, seems like we're in business again. This is Drakson, entry number, uh, twenty-two? No, twenty-three. Anyway, things are going well. Both glimmer mines, Alpha and Beta, are fully operational and working at maximum capacity, giving us more materials to work with. We've also managed to salvage another cannon from the destroyed Devil Walkers scattered around the ruins, giving us a total of three stationary gun platforms so far, and the Vanguard actually sent us a few turrets to use as well. The more the merrier."

 

<Still, we don't have much in the way of air defense. Got any plans for that?>

 

"As a matter of fact, I do. As soon as we can, we're gonna get our hands on some Jumpships, and refit them to serve as an effective air-to-air force. Still, it's a long way off. It might be years before we manage anything like that. Jumpships and fighter craft are a rare luxury. The best option would be Phaeton-class ships. They're designed for aerial and orbital defense. Even better would be some Reef-made Galliot-class fighters, but there's no way they'd accept such a deal, even if we gave them everything we had. And while skiffs are heavily armed, they're not fast or agile. They are good for supporting a ground assault, but not air combat."

 

"The Devil Claw has been renamed to the Night Talon, and Karaks left her position as their leader. Instead, Night Baroness Soralkis serves as the Head Talon now. She has definitely proved her worth as Karaks' successor. I've never seen an Eliksni with that kind of aim before. She's able to hit a laser-thin target with pinpoint precision from a mile away. Not even joking. We actually tried. Even she was surprised by her own skill. The Night Talon is in good hands. I can't think of anyone more suited or prepared for the task."

 

"Also, construction of Outpost 5-C was finished a few days ago. We now have a presence on Venus as well. Maat Mons. Never know when that'll be handy. We've already stocked it with several supplies, should we ever need to refuel or restock during a mission. Also, it's well hidden, so the House of Winter should not be able to locate it. The Vex... that's a different story. Luckily, they are not interested in us. They've focused their attention back to the Ishtar region, for some reason. I don't really care why either, as long as we're not a target."

 

"Finally, me and Karaks will be heading to Mars in a few minutes to check up on Outpost 17-R in the Eos Chasma. Scouts have spotted Cabal movement in the area, so the construction team is slightly worried. We're gonna be there to boost morale, and the Syriks-fel will stand by in orbit in case the Cabal try anything. We'll show them that we're not just some small obstacle that can simply be pushed away. With any luck, however, the Cabal will never find the outpost."

 

"Draco, are you coming?"

 

"Yeah, be right there! Just gotta end this recording. C'mon, why can I never find the right button? Not this one. Nope. How about thi-."


	11. The Eos Chasma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drakson and Karaks arrive at Mars... but the simple operation quickly goes horribly wrong.

"This is Skiff 3, ready to proceed with launch, over."

Karaks takes a final look at the instruments before Rahn can respond.

"Roger that, Skiff 3. You are cleared for launch. Rahn out."

The maglocks holding the skiff in place release, and we fall for a split second before the antigrav-thrusters compensate.

"Scares me every damn time..."

Karaks looks back at me with a hint of amusement, and aligns the skiff with the open hangar door. She hits the throttle, and we zoom out and towards the dusty red planet below. The Syriks-fel quickly disappears behind us on the radar.

<Well, suppose it's hello, Mars. When was the last time we were here?>

"I think about six years ago. Time really flies, huh? Wonder if the Cabal have been working hard while we were gone. Those giant beasts never cease to construct bases."

Mars grows bigger and bigger on the screen. We're about to hit the atmosphere. I hope I don't go through another flashback of my arrival on Earth. Last time Rahn had to stop the skiff mid-flight just because I panicked. Karaks was as scared and worried as ever. Apparently, I started screaming and passed out, or whatever the equivalent for an Exo is.

"Okay, our trajectory is looking good. Entering the atmosphere in 3... 2... 1..."

A shudder runs through the craft, and I grip my seat with all my might as images of fire, explosions and debris flash before my eyes. I'm on course for Earth when a piece of debris impacts my hijacked Winter skiff, and we plummet towards the ground in a ball of fire as the metal slowly peels off. We're coming in way to fast. Gotta slow down...

"Draco? Draco! It's okay, hear me? Focus! Draco?"

I shake my head and find myself still sitting behind Karaks. She must have noticed me, or maybe Angel warned her. Either way, she's looking back at me, worried.

"I'm fine. I'm good. How long until we're there?"

Karaks turns back towards the instruments as I shake my head once more. That was about 178 years ago. How come those images are still haunting me? Why can't I be rid of them?

"Considering the fact that we have to slow down significantly before we can adjust our path to head towards the outpost, I would say 5, maybe 6 minutes. The worst is over, though. Cloaking module is active and the Cabal radio band is full of transmissions, but nothing about Eliksni, aircraft or unknown objects."

I nod my head. Smooth sailing, then. They don't know we're here. If they did, their air defenses would intercept us miles above the surface.

"Sounds good. Just keep an eye out. We don't wanna blow our cover."

After another 2 minutes we're close enough for the ground to register on the proximity alert, and Karaks levels out. We must be only 100 meters above the dunes.

"Descent complete, straightening up. We're heading towards the construction site."

A few seconds pass before an alarm starts blaring. An alarm I hoped we would not hear.

"Defense Grid has a lock on us! Attempting to evade!"

Dull thuds can be heard from the outside as the Cabal guns fire their explosive munitions toward our position. So far, only misses. But how'd they even detect us?

Just as I am about to ask Angel, the skiff lurches to one side as the whole craft shudders.

"Syriks-fel, this is Skiff 3! We've lost an engine and are going down. The Cabal Defense Grid found us! Repeat, we're going down!"

Nothing but static in response. The communications array must have been damaged or destroyed in the hit. We're only 20 meters above the sand now.

"Angel! Close!"

She vanishes in a flash. I need her intact. 15 meters.

"Draco, hold on!"

10 meters.

"Karaks!"

5 meters.

"Draco, I-"

1 meter.

Then with a loud crash, everything goes black.

 

The first thing I notice when I open my eyes is the sun, shining down. I turn my head with a groan and see the tail section of the skiff, ripped to pieces and scattered several meters behind us. We really made an impact. I look to my left and see what is left of the cockpit in the sand, in an almost 2 meter deep gash it dug upon landing and sliding across the ground.

"Karaks?"

My voice sounds weak. Might have damaged something in the crash, but I'm not sure if it is my voice or my ears. Could be both, for all I know. As I try to stand up, I notice the metal beam across my body. I try to lift it off with my arms, but my left isn't responding properly. Gonna have to check that afterwards.

With all my might I'm able to push away the piece of scrap holding me down. I stand up and inspect my left arm. The lower half is crushed and sparking. Pain receptors must have been overloaded or destroyed, because I can't feel anything in it. I turn my attention towards the debris to my left once more. My own problems can wait.

"Karaks!"

I jog to what remains of the front section. Twisted metal and sand is everywhere. But I can't see her. Where is she?

"Angel! You there?"

No response. At least, none that I can hear. I start shifting through the remains with my right arm. And finally, below the ruined pilot seat, I find something familiar. A broken shock pistol. Not mine. Dreg's Promise is still in my holster.

"What? How..."

I get back to my feet, looking around in panic. Where is she? How long was I out? Did she get away on her own? Did the Cabal get her? Where?

<Draco! You're awake!>

I spin around and almost hit Angel with my broken arm. She quickly flit backwards, dodging my arm. At least I have her now.

"Angel! You're fine. What about-"

<Karaks is over here. You've were knocked out longer than she was.>

She flies further ahead of the crash. Of course. If Karaks had been thrown out by the impact, she would have landed further forwards. I run as fast as I can in the slippery sand, and notice her figure lying in the dunes up ahead, Angel hovering above. I crash down on my knees beside her. She looks up at me with her purple eyes. I can tell she's in pain. I just hope there's no internal damage.

"Karaks! Are you okay?"

She simply looks at me as if I hadn't said a thing. Can't she hear me? I look up at Angel.

"How is she? Will she make it?"

She simply flies closer to me, looking at my throat. Why? Didn't she hear my question?

<Draco, I think your vocal processor was badly damaged in the crash. I can't hear you. At all. I just see your mouth moving. How's the rest of you like? Except for your arm, of course.>

I can't speak? Whatever, I'm robotic, I can be fixed. I gesture towards Karaks while looking at Angel, hoping she understands my meaning.

<Karaks? She'll make it, don't worry. But she is somewhat out of it, considering the hit her head took. Also, her right leg is broken. Nothing too bad, no bones sticking out or anything like that. But she's not gonna be walking anytime soon. Even with Eliksni physiology, it'll take a few days for the fracture to close, and even longer for the leg to return to a hundred percent.>

Concussed and a broken leg. Mute and a destroyed arm. Could be worse. Luckily my core processor has the knowledge of sign language built-in. Never thought I'd need it. I signal to Angel.

**We need to go. Where?**

<According to my scan, there are some caves a few hundred meters south of our position. Also, we have a sandstorm on approach. It'll hit us in approximately 9 minutes. Cabal forces are on their way as well. I recommend that we get going as soon as we can.>

**Tell Karaks I must carry her.**

Angel relays my message, and Karaks simply nods at me. I lean down and grab her hand.

<Try to stand on your good leg. We got you.>

After a minute of struggling, she manages to get up on her left leg. She notices my arm and looks at me questioningly. All I can do is shake my head. Her grip on my shoulder tightens. Behind her, I can see the storm on the horizon. And it's quickly growing bigger. We need to move.

<Karaks, just try to relax. We'll take shelter in a cave not far from here.>

As soon as she nods, I grab her by the waist and hoist her over my shoulder. It's the only way I can carry her at the moment. I can hear her growl in pain, but there's nothing I can do about it. We have to leave as soon as possible. I gesture towards Angel.

<Right, this way.>


	12. Stranded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drakson and an injured Karaks head for shelter in a nearby cave system, with both Cabal forces and a massive sandstorm quickly approaching their position.

Chapter 11

 

I tread slowly across the dunes, the slippery sand often giving way to the combined weight of me and Karaks. I can see the rock wall some distance away, and the sandstorm approaching from our right. We'll never reach the caves before it hits us.

<Not far now! We can make it!>

I grit my teeth as I stumble once more, barely keeping my balance in the treacherous terrain. I've wasted several minutes just trying not to fall. If I do, it will take forever to get Karaks up again. Not to mention that it won't do any good for her leg.

"Draco... I think I see Cabal in the distance..."

I can't spare the time or strength to look back. I have to focus on the exposed rock wall in front of us. But she's probably right. The Cabal would no doubt send out a patrol to investigate what their air defenses shot down. And once they find our ship, they'll be too close to outmaneuver. We have to keep walking. I have to keep walking. Not just for me, but Karaks as well. Her life is quite literally in my hands.

<Uhm... Draco? That sandstorm is coming this way faster than I thought. It's getting stronger by the minute. If we don't make it to the caves before the worst winds hit us, I'm not sure we'll ever be able to find anything.>

Great. Just great. A race against time, and I can't sprint, jog, or even walk fast. I try to pick up the pace somewhat anyway, and I hear Karaks growl in pain. No matter. If the storm or the Cabal reaches us first, her leg will be the least of our worries.

After several long minutes, we're very close to the cave entrance. But I can also feel the winds growing. The sandstorm is almost upon us. I keep on marching toward the opening in the rocks ahead when a gust of air suddenly hits and almost knocks me down. Grains of sand ping of my armor as my cloak flaps furiously in the raging storm. In seconds the visibility has gone down to none. We're out of time.

<Draco! Keep walking! The cave is straight ahead!>

Straight ahead. I struggle to take even the smallest steps forward, as the wind almost tears me away whenever I put all my weight and balance on a single leg. But I can't give up now. Not when we are so close. I take a few more cautious steps and hit my head on an overhang. The cave! We found it!

<That's it! We found the cave!>

If I could still speak, I'd have called her a mind-reader. I crouch down and manage to slip inside the entrance with Karaks still slung over my shoulder. Angel is already inside, a beam of light emitting from her eye to show the way. I look around the small space we have entered. It's not much of interest, except for the three tunnels that I can only guess leads deeper inside the canyon wall. How do we always find ourselves in caves in the side of a canyon? Anyway, we have to go deeper. If the Cabal decide to search the cave when the storm dies down outside, they can't find us just sitting in the corner here. We'll have our backs against the wall.

<If we stay here, the Cabal will easily find us. We'll need to head deeper down.>

Okay, this is just getting annoying. I'm really missing my ability to talk. That will have to wait until later, though. I take a quick look at the different tunnels once more, before moving towards the left one. Left is always right. Beyond the entrance, the cave opens up a bit more, enabling me to stand upright once again. I continue walking down the natural tunnel, Angel's light being the only source of illumination. Suddenly, the cave just... ends. There's just a small room, barely larger than the tunnel itself. The walls are specked with cracks, from small, almost unnoticeable to ones large enough for me to fit into. Other than that, nothing. Just a dead end.

<Well, this is great. Hopefully we can hide out here, wait for the storm to pass. And if we're lucky, the Cabal will just pass right by the opening. I'll keep watch by the entrance, just in case.>

As Angel flies out of the cavern back the way we came, I put Karaks down at the far end, propped up against the wall in a sitting position, her broken leg stretched out before her. She's barely conscious. She must be in a great deal of pain. But without Angel here, I have no way to talk with her. I'll just have to settle for non-verbal communication. I sit down next to her and wrap my still-functioning arm around her, and in response she leans her head on my shoulder and closes her eyes. Even though everything is as quiet as the vacuum of space, we both know the meaning of the gesture. We sit in silence for what feels like hours, but it could also be just a few seconds.

"Draco?"

Karaks lifts her head and looks at me, her four purple eyes full of pain and worry. I tilt my head to acknowledge her.

"What are we going to do? How are we going to reach the outpost? Do you have a plan?"

I close my eyes and shake my head. I have no idea how to get out of this mess. Not this time. I pull Karaks closer as she puts her head on my shoulder once more, her eyes closed. The cavern is now completely dark.

 

I open my eyes and look around in the cavern. I must have drifted off to sleep. And for some reason, I can vaguely see the floor, walls and ceiling. Earlier it was in complete darkness. How am I now able to see? And is it getting slightly brighter too? All of a sudden, Angel flits around the corner, instantly lighting up the room. Of course. The light she cast down the tunnel must have been what brightened up the cavern somewhat.

<Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that the storm is dying down. The bad news is that we have a Cabal patrol about to enter the cave!>

Shit. If they find us, there's nothing we can do. Not in this state. Our only option would be to hide. But where? I look around, and notice the cracks once more. I get to my feet, find the largest one, and look inside. Only big enough for one person. And even then it's a tight fit. But maybe it could work.

<Scans indicate we have two Psions coming down this way! If you have a plan, hurry! We don't have much time!>

**Karaks, cloak. Us, hide, crack.**

I don't have time to signal entire sentences, just single words. Angel rushes over to Karaks, who woke up when I stood up, and explain the situation and solution to her. In response, she quickly vanishes from sight as her personal cloaking module activates. I put one foot inside the crack, and start making my way into it. Rocks scrape into my armor, and a few times I almost get completely wedged. With a final effort, I manage to get all the way in as Angel vanishes in a flash. About sixteen seconds later, two Psions enter the cavern, their helmet mounted lights illuminating the walls once more. I slowly reach down and grasp my Promise. I left my right side pointing out towards the room, so I could easily open fire if anything goes wrong. Hopefully, I won't have to. If these Psions don't return to the rest of the squad, the remaining Cabal soldiers will come looking for them. The first begins looking around inside the cavern, while the second stands guard at the entrance. If I was anything other than an Exo, I would be holding my breath right now. The only indication of where the Psion is and where it's looking is the small cone of light from its helmet, and the sound of its boots against rock and sand. Seconds pass by at a crawl, before I hear another set of footsteps join the first and slowly disappear in the distance.

I wait another minute just to be certain, then I slowly make my way out of the crack. I walk over to where Karaks was sitting, and she becomes visible again.

"That was close. It almost stepped on my broken leg."

That would indeed have been a bad situation. But "almost" wasn't "close enough" this time. As I turn to signal to Angel, I notice her flying off down the tunnel. Probably to ensure that the patrol moves along. Until she returns, I have no way of communicating at all, so I just sit down next to Karaks and wrap my arm around her once more. In response she rests her head on my shoulder, just like earlier. And then we sit here in the dark, in complete silence, just waiting for Angel to return. Time goes by before she reappears by the entrance and hovers over to us.

<More bad news. The Cabal have initiated a full search for the crew of the crashed skiff. They have blocked off the entire area, with both Harvesters and ground patrols scouring the area at all times. In addition, several Interceptors and even Goliath Tanks are being called in to enforce the "quarantine", so to speak. We're boxed in.>

That means there is no way to reach the outpost, then. And with no comms, we can't radio for help. Not that it would matter with the Cabal Defense Grid being able to detect cloaked ships now.

<Seeing as we'll be staying here for a while, I might as well get started on your repairs. Would you like your arm or your voice operational first?>

Normally I would go with being able to fight with both arms, but I'm really getting tired of having to use sign language to communicate. So I point towards my throat, hoping it is simple enough for Angel to understand. I mean, how can I make it more obvious?

<I can't imagine why you chose that option. Would you mind telling me the reason behind your logic?>

I take off my helmet and roll my eyes. Very funny. Don't sass me, Angel.

<Right. I'll just get to it, then.>


	13. Not alone...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An opportunity for rescue arrives in the form of a new, mysterious ally...

I stand at the opening to the cave, gazing out towards the large amount of Cabal troops and vehicles patrolling the Eos Chasma under the burning sun, and the base in the opposing canyon wall that had been constructed with haste. Four days. Four days have passed, and we're still stuck inside the same cave. And every day, I stand at the mouth of our shelter, watching the windswept wasteland outside turning into yet another Cabal stronghold. Firebase Delphi, they call it. At least, that's what Angel had been able to glean from tapping into their unprotected comm network. It is under the command of the regiment known as the "Sand Eaters", the largest regiment on Mars. According to the database she was able to hack into two days ago, they make up more than fifty percent of the planetside Cabal forces. In addition, several squads from the more experienced and veteran "Dust Giants" regiment have been sent to aid in the search against us. It seems they think we are an extreme security breach, otherwise they wouldn't have gone to these lengths in order to find us.

I look down at my left arm, and clench my hand into a fist. Thanks to the materials Angel was able to "borrow" from the Cabal construction teams, it was a relatively easy fix, at least compared to my vocal processor. Still, it feels more stiff than usual, but hopefully that goes away as I use my arm once again. As I gaze at the Cabal milling around in the distance once more, Angel flies up next to me.

<Karaks is awake. And she needs to talk with you about something. Don't know what, though. She didn't want to tell me, only you. Or, at least, you first.>

"Thanks. I'll go check on her."

It turned out that me carrying her about 4 kilometers through sand that likes to throw you off-balance did not do wonders for her leg, and because of that the healing process will take longer than expected. She may not be back on her feet for another month, and it will take even longer to regain the muscles that have atrophied in the meantime. But for now, we're still stranded here in this desert canyon. And help will not be arriving. I take a final look at the base forming in the distance, then turn and walk back into the cave.

Karaks is still sitting in the same spot as when we first discovered this place. I've been afraid to move her because of her leg. The last thing we need is for the injury to get even worse. She raises her head and looks at me as I crouch next to her.

"Good morning, sunshine. Angel said you wanted to tell me something?"

"Draco... We can't wait in this cave until my leg is healed. And I can't go anywhere until it is. So, you'll have to make your way to the outpost without me."

"Abandon you? In the depths of a cave with a broken leg? Never!"

"You're not helping anyone by staying here. Go on without me. I know you can make it."

"Listen, Karaks, I won't leave you. Not after what happened to-"

I'm interrupted by a faint, repeating sound echoing through the cave. Footsteps? No, can't be. An alarm, maybe? But why?

"Angel, what is that, and why is it happening?"

<According to the Cabal comms, it's an alarm. But not for us. Firebase Delphi is under attack.>

"Under attack? By who, the Vex? Or has Rahn decided to move in?"

Angel pauses for a second, the outer parts of her shell whirring as she processed the information the Cabal network was feeding her.

<Neither. It appears it is only one enemy, but somehow it is killing every Cabal. And I'm getting reports of "light, fire and ash". Sounds a lot like Solar, if you ask me. But no Guardian could do this amount of damage alone.>

I stand up and draw Dreg's Promise. Whatever is out there, it could be dangerous. Angel is right. No Guardian could achieve this level of destruction alone, not even a Sunsinger. And everyone knows how powerful the Sunsingers are.

"Well, then. I'll go find out what it is. And what it is capable of. Angel, stay here with Karaks. I'll be back soon."

 

As I get closer to the opening, I can hear gunfire in the distance, along with faint explosions. A lot of them. Too many. Not even a Cabal Centurion or Colossus could make that amount of large explosions in such a short time. I jog the last bit to the opening, and focus my attention on the base. Orange flashes shine through the doors and windows, accompanied by resounding booms. I start sprinting across the dunes, determined to find out what it is. Because those are definitely Solar detonations, which means it has to be a Guardian. A Guardian with serious firepower, and possibly a way to get out of this chasm. Almost at the base. Not much farther. The outside is littered with wrecks from Interceptors, Harvesters and Goliath Tanks, and several small craters where the sand has turned to glass. Did one Guardian really take out all these vehicles? And if so, how? The City has never been able to create weapons that can so easily punch trough Cabal armor plating, and no Solar powers that we know of has the potential to do so, either.

 

I carefully step inside the base through an open door, checking every corner in the corridor inside. The only evidence of the battle, or should I say massacre, is scorch marks along the floor and lower walls, with piles of embers and ash scattered around. Almost like the devastation an Eliksni Scorch Cannon would create, but on a much larger scale. I holster Dreg's Promise, and pull a shock rifle off my back. Just one of the weapons I managed to salvage from the crash site. I've modified this one myself though, to enable it to fire faster, however that means it won't be able to track targets. As I walk along the corridor, more explosions suddenly ring out from farther inside. It's not over yet. I start running toward the connecting hallway where the sound is coming from. More embers and scorched surfaces inside. I make my way toward a door on the left, hiding around the corner as it opens. And then what appears to be a flaming hammer comes flying through, impacting the ground next to me. Solar Light and heat washes over me, but leaves me unscathed. I instinctively peer into the room and open fire on the figure standing at the far side, Arc rounds flying through the air. It dodges them with ease, and only then do I notice the armor it is wearing. The armor of a Titan, yet clearly Vex-like. I lower my rifle, and the Titan lowers its right arm, which is holding a hammer wreathed in flames. I know my fair share of Titans, but have never seen anyone wield Solar Light before. What if this isn't a Guardian after all? I aim at what I presumed to be a Titan once more, but it only walks calmly towards me, the hammer disappearing from its hand.

"Stop right there! Another step, and I'll fire!"

It seems to understand, because it stops walking and simply looks at me. Is there a chance it really is a Guardian? Or is it just a trick, some new Vex unit?

"What are you? And why are you here?"

In response, it raises its hands and removes the helmet. I almost drop my rifle in surprise. It's an Awoken. So it is a Guardian after all. But what about the hammer? Titans only use Arc and Void Light. How'd this one use Solar?

"What am I? I'm a Titan, genius. I thought that would be obvious."

Female, judging from the voice. Her orange eyes stand out, shining like all Awoken eyes do. Her black hair is tied up in a ponytail, and a scar runs along her right cheek. I start walking towards her.

"I figured as much. But I still don't understand how a Titan can wield the power of Solar Light. How is that possible?"

She places her hand on her hip, and cocks her head to one side.

"And this is coming from the Hunter that wields Void Light. I thought you of all people would understand how possible it is, Drakson."

How does she know that I can use Void? And more importantly, how does she know my Eliksni name?

"So, you know me. How? The Vanguard went to extreme lengths to keep that name secret. How'd you learn of it?"

"From the one that gave me my new name. It's Solra, by the way. And this is my Ghost, Ignis."

A dark blue Ghost pops up next to her, hovering above her shoulder.

"And who is that, then? Also, would you care to explain where you got that armor? It is too similar to Vex technology to be a coincidence."

"Oh, it is Vex tech. Modified for me, that is. The same goes for this piece."

She unholsters a rifle slung across her back, and holds it up for me to see. It is definitely of Vex origin, but seems to have been altered, changed to fit a more human hand.

"But how did you get that? And who gave you your name?"

She starts laughing. What does she think is so funny? I tighten the grip on my shock rifle. Maybe she's a lunatic, an outcast from the City. If so, she could be dangerous.

"Oh, you think you're so special, don't you? Blessed by an entity that is close to a god, and chosen to lead an entire Fallen House. Did you really think you were one of a kind?"

"Wait, what? How do you know all this? Who told you?"

"I already said, the one who gave me my name. Drakson, Solra, none of those are our actual names, are they? Yet we use them to fight in the name of someone else, someone way more powerful than us, who have gifted us part of their power."

"And who do you fight for?"

"You don't need to worry about that, Champion of Luna. Just know that I came to help you out, on behalf of someone close to your liege. You still have a large role to play in the coming time, and they would hate to see you stuck here for an eternity."

"Wait, let me get this straight. You know I serve Luna, and you serve someone close to her? You knew I was in trouble, and came to help? And I will play an important role in the future?"

Her Ghost vanishes, and she starts turning around.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes and yes. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to."

She begins walking toward the door on her end of the room. But she hasn't answered my first question yet.

"Hold up! Who is it? Who do you serve?"

She stops at the doorway, and looks at me over her shoulder, her orange eyes burning like fire.

"The Solar Sister."

Then she puts on her helmet and walks around the right corner. I sprint across the room in order to catch up, and reach the doorway in seconds. I look down the right corridor, but she is gone. How? The corridor goes on for about 100 meters, and there are no connecting rooms or hallways. Where'd she go? And why'd she take out every Cabal in the area? Was that what she meant by "helping"? Now the path to the outpost is clear, for the moment. Have to focus on the task at hand. First I'll get help for Karaks, then I'll worry about Solra.

 

The jog back to the cave takes half an hour. After I explain what happened to Angel and Karaks, they simply stare at me. Finally, Karaks speaks up.

"Then, the path is open. Go. Find the outpost. Get help. I'll wait here."

"But I won't leave you! I just can't-"

"Just keep on walking, and don't look back. Just keep your eyes forward. I'll be fine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: This entire Mars segment was inspired by a song from Slyphstorm, and therefore I included a reference to it in this chapter. Please let me know if you spot it!


	14. Alone in the Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drakson sets out towards the distant Night Outpost, overburdened by guilt. And in the martian desert, he encounters and old friend.

I walk through the sand and the chopping winds, as Phobos and Deimos hangs high above, in a starry-speckled sky. I've been walking for hours, and night has fallen. How fitting. The Kell of Night, walking through the night by himself. Completely alone. Karaks assured me she would be fine on her own, but I refused to leave her alone. I managed to talk Angel into staying with her. So here I am, a lone soldier in a desolate wasteland, my red cloak bearing the white sigil of the Devils flapping in the wind, a line of footsteps in the sand behind me. Above all, I want to turn back and stay with Karaks, sitting in the dark cave, with only my Ghost as company. But this is the only way to help her. And I am determined to keep her alive. I've already lost someone I cared deeply for once; I won't let it happen again.

 

After hours of walking through the darkness, my mind feels heavy. I feel... tired, even though I'm an Exo. A robotic lifeform. A machine, built for war. Such a thing should not be possible. Perhaps some part of my human mind still exists inside my processors, along with the memories long buried and forgotten. I shake my head and focus on the real world around me. To my surprise, I'm lying belly-down in the sand. I must have slipped in the dunes. As I try to get to my knees, my entire body feels heavy, and it's like I've lost all strength. I manage to crawl forward a few meters before collapsing completely. I can't get up. I can't keep going. I've... I've failed her. I was her only hope, and I've failed. I can't save anyone...

...

...can't...

...

...save...

...

...

...her...

...

...

...

...

 

"Draco..."

A whisper snaps me back into reality. A voice so familiar, yet... different. I look up from the sand my face is buried in, and see a figure ahead of me. About 50 meters or so. A slim figure, wearing what appears to be a cloak. It looks familiar, but I can't place where I've seen it before.

"Draco..."

That voice... I know it now. But it can't be... It just can't! She's...

"Get up..."

With a surge of power, I manage to get up on one knee, then back to my feet. Meanwhile, the individual before me has turned around, allowing me to see the full details of her cloak. A long, white cape, with golden accents and a golden wolf in the center. She begins walking away.

"This way..."

I start walking towards her, trying to lessen the distance, but no matter how fast I go I can't catch up. Why is she here? Where is she leading me? Is she even real?

"Where... Where are we going?"

"Save them..."

Somehow, I'm gaining on her now. I don't even know how long we've been walking. Seconds? Minutes? Hours? It's like time has stopped completely. My body still feels weak, but I keep going towards her, eyes focused on the white and golden cloak. But how is she even here? It can't be real. SHE can't be real. There is just no way.

"Save who? And how? Answer me!"

"Save them all... From the Darkness... Save her..."

Them all? From the Darkness? Does she mean the City? The House of Night? The entirety of humanity and Eliksni? Before long, I'm right behind her, desperately trying to grab her shoulder. But she's just out of my reach.

"Please, stop! Tell me how. Tell me who you're talking about."

She stops, and turns around to look at me. Her familiar helmet looks straight at me.

"Draco. You have to save them. Save them all. The Darkness is coming. It is up to you."

I take of my helmet and drop it into the sand, before looking back at her.

"How? How am I supposed to stop the Darkness? I couldn't even save you..."

She takes of her helmet too, and gazes into my eyes. She's smiling, but at the same time her face is full of sadness. A tear glitters in the corner of her left eye.

"You were always the strongest of us. I knew it all along, but could never bring myself to tell you. Or tell you how much you meant to me. You were my closest friend, Draco. But also... something more. It doesn't make sense, but I still felt that way about you. Ever since we got to know each other. I've always felt like we could be something more, but I never managed to work up the courage to tell you. And then, it was too late…"

 

More tears join the first, and fall into the red sand below. I place my hand on her shoulder, and before I know it, she hugs me tightly, arms wrapped around my neck. I can hear her tears hitting my cloak as she's crying on my shoulder. I wrap my own arms around her back, beneath her cloak, and feel her body heave with every sob. I gently rub her back, trying to comfort her.

"I should have told you. Before the... Before I..."

"I always looked up to you. And I always hoped that one day we could be something more, too. But I couldn't bring myself to ask, either. I thought that no person could ever love a machine."

She starts laughing between the sobs. I've missed that sweet laughter, too. So gentle and beautiful.

"You're not a machine. You may be mechanical, but you have the heart and mind of a real person. And because of that, you have the same emotions any other would have. You're no less human than I am. I just wish I could have told you before... you know..."

"Shh, it's okay. I understand. It's okay."

We stand here, embracing, for what could very well be an eternity. Eventually she lets go, and I let her step backwards. She wipes her tears, and then looks into my eyes once more. Guilt starts building up inside me. I look down in shame.

"I just wish... that I could have saved you. You didn't deserve what happened. If I had returned faster, then maybe-"

She puts her hand on my shoulder, and I look back up at her.

"Draco. There was nothing you could have done. There was nothing anyone could have done. You stayed with me until the end. That was all you could do, and it was all I needed."

I just nod quietly, eyes closed. We stand in silence, until I feel her other hand on my chin. I gasp in surprise and open my eyes as her left hand leaves my shoulder and is placed on my other chin.

"I never got to tell you before... But now I can."

 

Before I can say anything, her warm, soft lips touch my cold, metallic ones. A strange warmth spreads throughout my body, and I put my hand on her sides as she leans her body closer until her chest touches mine. And then, once again, we stand in silence, with both her and my eyes closed. Until she pulls her head back slightly, and look me dead in the yes.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that..."

I run my fingers through her dark hair, and she smiles.

"I think I may have a clue..."

I smile as she starts laughing once more, before resting her head on my chest. After a few seconds she looks back at me again.

"Draco... I have to go now."

I simply nod as I let go. She steps back slightly, before removing her cloak, folding it up and handing it to me.

"I want you to carry my legacy. And to remember me. Please?"

I carefully take the cloak from her arms and look at it.

"Of course. For you, I will do anything."

She gives a sad smile, before taking a few steps back. My body begins to feel weak again, and I struggle to stand upright.

"Thank you. Also, take good care of Karaks. She will play an important role in the years to come. Keep her safe."

She turns around, puts her helmet on and starts to walk away. I fall to one knee, still clutching her folded cloak in my hands.

"Goodbye, Draco. My friend."

My vision begins fading to black, and I can feel myself falling forward. The last thing I see is her back, slowly moving away from me

"Goodbye, Ana."

 

I come to hearing voices above me. I open my eyes, and find myself lying on my back. One of the voices pulls closer, and a Captain comes into my field of vision, looking down at me. A scar runs along the rightmost eye.

"Kell is awake! Get Rahn!"

I look around, and notice the familiar Eliksni architecture. But it's not anywhere aboard the ketch. That must mean...

"Easy, Drakson. You are at outpost. You are safe."

I manage to get into a sitting position, and look back up at Gersiks.

"What... What happened? How did I get here?"

"One of the patrols found you unconscious not far from here."

Rahn steps into the room and walks over to me. He's holding something in his hands. Some kind of folded, white fabric.

"You were holding this. Well, clutching it with all your might, more accurately."

He hands it to me, and I unfold it into its full length. A white cloak, with golden accents and a wolf in the center. The same cloak I once used to help-

"Karaks! She needs help! We need to get back to the cave!"

I scramble to get out of the bed, but Rahn and Gersiks hold me down. I don't have the strength to break free from both of them.

"Calm down, Drakson. She's here. She's safe. And actually, lying in the next bed over."

What? I look over to my left, and notice four purple eyes staring back. One of her legs is inside a machine full of ether, whirring away. I can't help but think she feels amused by my outburst.

"Surprised?"

I chuckled slightly, more out of disbelief than joy.

"I would be lying if I said no. But I'm mostly relieved. I thou-... wait a sec. Rahn, Gersiks, how'd you get here? The Defense Grid blew us out of the sky. How did you make it through?"

Rahn looks over at Gersiks, then back to me.

"To tell the truth, we don't really know what happened. The moment we lost contact with you, we began scanning the entire area. We found out your approximate location based on the influx of Cabal forces, as well as the construction of a new base. But, one day, something wiped them all out. Then, the Cabal Defense Grid and the jammers in the region went down. We made the decision to head down to the outpost construction site, and the next thing we know, you're lying unconscious at the front door, so to speak."

I nodded weakly.

"Yeah, the Grid spotted our skiff. We took shelter in the caves lining the southern canyon wall. Then, a Titan came along and wiped everything out. Not a regular one, though. Someone I've never heard of before. Solra. Said she knew about us, our House, and Luna. She must've taken down the Grid after she left the Firebase. Then, I set out to reach the outpost. I must have passed out in the desert... Hold on, how did you find Karaks? We had no way of communicating our position."

"We simply followed your footprints back with a skiff. We found the cave in very short time."

My footprints. Of course. Follow my trail back to our hiding spot. Good old Rahn, clever as always. But... if they found MY footprints, then... wouldn't they also have found...

"Rahn, what about the second set of footprints? The ones alongside mine? How far did I follow them?"

Rahn looks over at Gersiks and Karaks, apparently worried. What's wrong? He had to have found them! The cloak she gave me is still here.

"Drakson... there were no other footprints. As far as we can tell, you were the only thing walking through the desert for miles. Why did you ask?"

But... the cloak... the way she behaved... the way she talked. It had to be real! How could it not be?

"I... I thought that... I saw..."

Sadness begins welling up again, and Karaks leans over towards me.

"Draco, what is it? What did you see?"

I feel her hand on my left shoulder. I turn to look at her.

"Karaks, remember the cloak I used to bandage you? The one in your quarters?"

"Of course I do. Why?"

I show her the cloak in my hands, free of ether stains. The exact same one.

"How did...? Who...?"

"The one I saw in the desert."

Rahn and Gersiks look at one another, while Karaks fixes her eyes at me.

"Draco. Who did you see? Who gave you this?"

I look up at the ceiling and smile, in an attempt to hide my sorrow.

"An old friend."


	15. A Guardian Risen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the Old Russian Cosmodrome, a small army of Devils lay dead, among them their archon Riksis. A lone Hunter inspects the area, trying to identify the source.

The large, open room was lit up by flickering lamps in the ceiling, where the moonlight and the aurora also shone through a large hole blasted through it. A figure walked out of a corridor and into the open space, where a pool of oil and fuel had gathered over the centuries. The figure, clad in jet-black armor with an equally dark cloak emblazoned with a crimson sigil, walked over to the pool, and looked up through the hole.

"So, the Arcadia-class is gone. Guess someone actually managed to get it workin'."

A Ghost popped up beside him, its own shell just as black as the armor of its Guardian, with crimson lines along the surface.

<It would seem so. It also looks like the Devils fought quite hard to defend it.>

She flitted about, scanning the area piece by piece, while the Guardian strode over to the many corpses littering the area near the other exit, their eyes gazing into nothingness... At least those who still had eyes. He knelt and overlooked a four-armed Vandal, its red cloak stained with ether and covered in bulletholes.

<A few of these corpses are more, well, "fresh" than the rest. It would seem they were killed several hours after the majority. I'm also picking up faint traces of Void Light in the area. It would seem another Guardian did this.>

The Guardian stood back up, and walked over to a Fallen much larger than the others, a broken shrapnel launcher gripped tightly in one of its arms.

"We meet again, Riksis. But you didn't fall by my hand, like I hoped. Still, you're dead, and in the end, that's all that matters."

The Guardian walked out the other end, where whoever had killed all the Devils had apparently come from, as his Ghost vanished in a flash of light. In the smaller room were a few dead Dregs and some wrecked Shanks. He continued into the corridor at the other end, and came out into a wide outdoor area with a few buildings and containers. In the middle of the field was a destroyed Walker, along with almost a hundred dead Devils; Dregs, Vandals, even Captains. The ground was scorched in several places, and bullet casings along with empty magazines littered the area. He knelt and picked up one of the casings, inspecting it closely.

"Angel, what kind of weapon are these from?"

The Ghost popped into existence again, and scanned the casing with her eye.

<They are from an Old Russian rifle. Khvostov, model 7G-02. One of the oldest firearms still in existence.>

"Not from the City, then. The only possibility would be that a Newborn did this. Explains why the Arcadia-class jumpship is missing too. Probably took it to reach the city."

<Just like we once did.>

The Guardian dropped the casing and walked over to the edge of the field, where a metal railing separated him from the river 20 meters below.

"That's almost two centuries ago. Back when Andal Brask and Osiris were part of the Vanguard. Back before the Twilight Gap. Before I lost her..."

He looked up at the moon, shining bright behind the green and red strands of the northern light. The Cosmodrome always looked beautiful at night. The Ghost sighed.

<We've been over this time and time again. There was nothing you could have done.>

"Maybe not..."

He walked back towards the field as a black BKR-class jumpship flew towards the area.

"And maybe there was."

They both disappeared in a blue flash, and the jumpship sped up and changed course, heading west.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Then we are officially in familiar territory! Those of you who've played D1 will likely recognize this setting, though maybe not as... hectic? Corpse-littered? You get the idea.


	16. The Warmind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before he can head home, a message from the Vanguard has Drakson heading straight back to the Cosmodrome to investigate some unusual activity from the House of Devils.

Drakson adjusted his position in the pilot seat, and grabbed the controls of the jumpship. He turned the craft westwards, towards the European Dead Zone.

"Back to the Midnight Lair, then. There's nothing more for us to do out here."

Angel gazed at the monitors for a seconds, before turning slightly, her outer shell whirring as she begun processing something.

<Hang on. I'm receiving an encrypted message... from the Tower. Looks like the Vanguard wants us to do a little scouting in the Cosmodrome. We're not done here yet.>

Drakson sighed and turned the ship around. Of course they would receive the message just after they had left.

"Alright, heading back down. What's the situation?"

<It seems to be from Cayde. Let's see... "The Vanguard's reporting that Fallen are tearing into machines all over the Cosmodrome. I'm starting to think they aren't just looting the place. Whatever they're looking for, we should probably find it first." That's it.>

"Well, let's see what our old friends are up to. Locking on to the LZ. Transmat in three... two... one…"

 

With a flash, Drakson materialized on a rocky outcropping overlooking a river, just on the other side of Dock 13. Shrapnel launcher raised, he quickly scanned the area for any threats, seeing nothing save a Vandal and two dregs some way away to the left.

"Ah, good old Steppes. Always calm. Angel, where are we headed?"

< I'm picking up heavy Eliksni activity near the Forgotten Shore, miles from here. Think this is a good time to test Project Thunderbird?>

"Heh, read my mind."

With another flash of the transmat, a heavily modified Pike appeared before the Hunter. The guns were taken out, the undercarriage featured a smaller, more efficient Arc engine, and the whole thing was extremely lightly armored. One of Fokak's pet projects. Drakson climbed on and fired it up.

"Let's take this for a spin."

He hit the accelerator, and the Pike thundered down the left road, electricity crackling from its engine and thrusters. The Vandal barely had time to duck behind a rock before the Dregs were flung across the plain, the speedy impact instantly killing them. Drakson maneuvered through a rocky overpass, down through an old spillway and into the Mothyards, covered with rusted wrecks from centuries-old planes. Weaving between the remains and the Devils hiding among them, he quickly turned to the right upon reaching a canyon leading toward the sea.

<We're approaching the Shore. The Eliksni are using some sort of signal amplifiers. Let's see what they're transmitting.>

The canyon opened up into another vast plain, containing the rusted hulls of several large boats, long stranded on dry soil. Drakson ignored the various Dregs and Shanks scrambling for cover, and headed straight for the closest ship, where Angel had put a marker on his HUD.

"Alright, little Devils. Time to see what you're up to."

As soon as he reached the base of the ship, he leaped off the Pike, which continued forward at tremendous speed and clipped the head of a Vandal foolish enough to duck out of cover to identify the incoming threat. Jumping up toward the upper floor, then jumping off the air again, he landed on the top, shrapnel launcher already drawn. Two Dregs and a Vandal hit the floor before the rest noticed they were under attack. Taking cover at the edge of a doorway, Drakson quickly shot down three more Dregs who tried to rush in, before throwing in a smoke grenade. With the remaining Dreg and its Captain blinded and stumbling, he drew his shock blade and proceeded to decapitate the Dreg, and then gutting the Captain with a single slash. With every immediate threat dealt with, he turned his attention to the small Fallen comm tower standing on the middle of the deck. Angel quickly popped up, flying over to it.

<Give me a second...>

Arc bolts started flying up from below. Drakson quickly threw a Voidwall grenade toward the source, and smiled upon hearing the Shanks overheat and explode. He quickly peeked over the edge, noting that no one else tried to advance from behind the various rocks.

<Some kind of distorted signal. Not Eliksni. Let's check the other one.>

Another waypoint popped up, this time at and old building at what had once been a dock, but now stood 10 meters above the dry plain.

"Right."

Jumping down and hopping back on the Pike, Drakson set course for the second comm tower. He got halfway up the hill before Arc bolts and shrapnel rounds slammed into the lightly armored vehicle. Strafing behind cover, he got off it and returned fire with Dreg's Promise, his trusted shock pistol. The five Dregs went down in a matter of seconds, with the two Vandals in the back falling back into the building. Drakson quickly and quietly moved up the large opening, glancing around the corner. The concrete around his head was instantly blasted away as he withdrew his head with extreme speed.

_Two Vandals and a Captain. No big deal._

He waited until the suppressive fire died down, crouched, and aimed around the corner. One of the Vandals lost its head and the other got snagged in the abdomen before the Captain returned fire. Drakson shadowstepped towards it and drove a knife through its head upon reaching the Captain. As it slumped to the ground, he walked over to the still living Vandal, writhing on the ground in pain. A quick stab to the head put it out of its misery. While the Devils were the "Scourge of the City", it didn't mean they should have to suffer a slow and painful death. After all, the Guardians were better than that. As he stood back up, ether covering the knife's blade, Angel popped out again, once again scanning the comm tower propped up against the wall.

<That is... odd.>

"What is it?"

<The same transmission. They're both linked to... something... in Skywatch.>

She finished the scan and turned to look at her Guardian.

<Let's check it out.>

 

After getting back onto the Pike, Drakson flew back down towards the ships, barreling past the first comm tower and heading up the road on the right side of the canyon entrance. This would lead to the Terrestrial Complex of the Skywatch. He sped around the bends in the road, eventually reaching an old, collapsed garage. Slowing down, he drove into it, parking the Pike in front of a doorway blocked by a rusted van and some concrete barricades. He rushed into the room beyond the doorway, gunning down a Dreg before the two others realized they were not alone. The second received a Shrapnel round to the face, and the third got a stab in the neck as a reward for its reckless approach. Further in, a lowered gate opened up, and four more Dregs stormed out, accompanied by two Vandals armed with Shock Blades. Three of the Dregs died before reaching Drakson, who grabbed the last Dreg and used it as a shield against the charging Vandals. After being gutted by its own allies, Drakson threw it at the closest Vandal, knocking it off balance. As the second one leaped at him once more, he drew his shock blade and blocked the strike, before swiftly removing its upper arms, and proceeding to drive the blade through its chest. As the last Vandal struggled to its feet, a Captain moved in as well, firing its shrapnel launcher to cover its remaining underling. Drakson weaved towards the Captain, closing the distance before cleaving the gun in two. As the Captain attempted to punch him, Drakson ducked, and the fist hit the face of the last Vandal who had crept up behind the Guardian. With one enemy disarmed and the other temporarily stunned, it only took a few seconds before two heads hit the floor, soon after accompanied by their respective bodies. As Drakson sheathed the blade, he knelt and inspected the armor and cloak of the Captain.

"Gold and silver colors... What are the House of Kings doing? I thought this was a Devil operation."

<Perhaps they are working together? The Kings are great manipulators, after all.>

"Perhaps. Hopefully their partnership ends soon. We can't have another Twilight Gap."

 

He moved up the stairs behind the now open gate, and found himself in a large control room. It was dead silent. No movement anywhere.

_Feels like a trap._

"Angel, do you pick up anything?"

<No movement, but something else... The Eliksni are tapped into something in the back of the room!>

Drakson took a few more steps forward, and heard the familiar sound of cloaking modules and armored feet hitting the floor. Raising his shrapnel launcher, he surveyed the room for the slight shimmer that the modules generated. The motion sensor suddenly lit up red behind him. He spun around and narrowly dodged a leaping Stealth Vandal, before butting it in the head, aiming at its face and pulling the trigger. Ether spewed into the air from where its head used to be. Two more charged at the same time, forcing Drakson to backpedal while firing. As one of them went down, the other received a throwing knife in the face. Drakson cautiously moved into the room once more. He could hear the faint buzz of another cloaking module. There had to be at least one more, somewhere. A splash on the right drew his attention, and he deftly dodged out of the way of the incoming shock blades while drawing another knife, its tip catching the Vandal in the throat. Just as Drakson resumed his attention towards the area Angel had marked, two Dregs and a Captain popped out of cover and opened fire. Ducking behind a crate, he drew Dreg's Promise and readied a smoke bomb.

"How many of these assholes are there?"

He threw the smoke bomb towards the incoming fire, and rushed in as soon as it stopped. The first Dreg got shot in the leg and then the chest, while the second lost its head. The Captain stumbled out of the smoke only to find Dreg’s Promise aimed at its eyes, the first bolt surpassing its personal shield, hitting the eye as well as the wall behind it. With the room once more seemingly clear, Drakson approached the machine. Wires ran from it to several ancient servers, data banks and monitors around it.

"Here ya go, Angel. Do your thing."

The Ghost flashed into existence and began scanning the machine as Drakson turned around and prepared for the inevitable onslaught of Kings. He knew them too well. They hated it when outsiders and strangers tamper with their toys.

<The Eliksni are trying to access these machines, but something is... fighting back? This will take some time.>

Drakson began firing as numerous Dregs and Vandals poured into the room from various other corridors. While several went down fast, the rest took cover and started firing back, forcing Drakson back into cover.

"Sure, sure, go ahead. We've got all the time in the world."

An ambitious Dreg appeared on the left, but didn't live to regret the decision.

"One down, 'bout twenty to go..."

Popping out to shoot whenever he could, Drakson slowly took out the remaining enemies. Rifling through their corpses for more ammo, he gazed back at Angel.

"So, we there yet, or what?"

<Sorry, still got quite a way to go.>

As more Fallen howls echoed through the building, Drakson quickly got back into cover. A few seconds later more Dregs and Vandals appeared, this time accompanied by Shanks and two Captains.

"Oh come on, now this just ain't fair!"

The Shanks went down one by one, as their basic AI kept steering the machines toward the enemy. Then, all the Dregs and Vandals decided to charge. All at once.

"To hell with this!"

Drakson popped out of cover once more, glowing purple bow in hand. He fired once into the approaching pack, catching a Dreg in the chest. It disintegrated, then the Tether activated, locking the rest of the charging mob in place. One Voidwall grenade later, only a few remained. As Drakson pulled the trigger on them, the shock pistol went click. He holstered it and drew the shrapnel launcher, aimed, and pulled the trigger. Nothing.

"No ammo... Excellent..."

Putting the useless gun back on the maglocks on his armored back, the Hunter drew his shock blade, charging at the remaining Vandals. After they were eliminated, the Captain followed suit, its armor sliced open across the chest. Once more scavenging for ammo among the now corpse-ridden floor, Angel called out.

<Detecting a lot of incoming movement! Get to cover!>

Drakson barely got back to the machine before wire rounds impacted the floor around him, accompanied by more shrapnel rounds and Arc bolts. Peeking out from the server bank, he counted six Vandals and two Captains. Then he noticed the two round, floating machines, covered in a purple aura. Servitors.

"Seriously? This is just getting ridiculous!"

As the Fallen kept firing at the server banks and crates he had hid behind, Drakson slowly made his way around their right flank, before opening fire on a Servitor, catching it by surprise. It exploded as the shrapnel rounds penetrated its shell and destroyed the inner workings, leaving nothing but scorched bits of machinery and a broken outer casing. As the remaining Servitor turned to fire, one of the Captains lunged at Drakson, catching the Servitor blast in the back. As it fell to its knees and slumped over, Drakson had already ran past it and embedded his shock blade into the Servitor's eye. As the purple eye dimmed and the machine fell to the ground, the remaining Vandals had repositioned, driving Drakson back into cover once more.

"I'm getting really tired of this... Can't you just fall over and die already? Save me the ammo."

A wire round bounced of his exposed shoulder in response, prompting him to draw back even more.

"I'll just take that as a 'no'."

He stood up and fired Dreg's Promise six times; five of the Vandals fell to the floor without a head. As the last looked to its now dead comrades, Drakson ran up to it, yanked the wire rifle out of its grip and pummeled it in the face. Being the last King standing, the Captain roared and ran towards the jet-black Guardian. One shot later the Captain crashed to the ground, a black hole scorched into its helmet. Drakson walked over to where his Ghost was still analyzing the machine.

"Done?"

<Just about... Hang on... Okay. I've pulled out everything they managed to steal. We should probably destroy this thing.>

"Sounds good."

Drakson tiredly aimed the wire rifle at the exposed circuits, and fired three shoots before it exploded. Exhausted, he let the rifle clatter to the metal floor, leaning on a crate and surveying the once-empty room, now littered with over fifty bodies.

<They didn't get much. Kept hitting an active firewall. Old Earth, Russian.>

"How is that even possible? How could an Old Russian firewall still be active?"

<The legends are true. A Warmind did survive the Collapse. Rasputin is alive! He faced the Darkness and survived! And he's protecting something here in the Cosmodrome.>

"A Warmind, huh? Cayde's not gonna believe this. Send him the details. We're done here."

Angel flew over to the tired Hunter, looking him dead in the eye.

<We have to find a way to reach him.>

Drakson looked at her, and shrugged.

"Probably. But let's leave that to someone else. Right now, we have to get back to the Midnight Lair. Transmat us aboard the ship, Angel."


	17. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drakson is finally able to return to the Midnight Lair to relax with his loved one.

The BKR-class jumpship sped westwards toward the ruins of Old London, crossing the outskirts of the European Dead Zone and flying across the large stretch of water before the once-magnificent city came into view before them. Drakson leaned back into the pilot chair with a sigh, feeling genuinely tired from the last fight.

“That mission was quite stressful… think I need to just take it easy for a day or two.”

<I’m sure Karaks will appreciate that. You’ve both been very busy as of late.>

“We sure have. Some quality time together will be nice...”

 

As the jumpship approached the heart of the ruined town, a parked ketch came into view, just in front of the remains of a large park where one of the city’s many subway entrances resided. A few skiffs flitted between the tall husks of overgrown skyscrapers as the BKR flew into the ketch’s hangar, its pilot transmatting to the metro entrance outside. With a crack of his metallic neck he walked down the stairs, nodding to the two Vandals stationed on guard. He continued walking through the maze of tunnels, service corridors and dug-out passages until he reached his own quarters. They were quite big, despite his insistence that he did not require anything larger than the rest of the House. They had all firmly disagreed, claiming it was fitting for the savior he was. His protests fell on deaf ears, and he eventually gave in and accepted it.  
  
The room was a mix of human and Eliksni decorations and furnishings; a large Eliksni bunk, like the ones aboard the ketches, was set into the far wall. Along the left was an empty armor stand and a few weapon racks, a white and gold cloak adorning the wall. A folding metal chair was placed beside a crate on the right, an electric lamp placed on top, and the Eliksni equivalent of a couch beside it. It wasn’t much, but it was home. The Eliksni decor actually made him feel more at home than his old quarters in the Tower ever had. He walked over to the armor stand, taking off his helmet and placing it on the top. The six glowing eyes in the helmet visor dimmed and turned off, making it look more like a normal helmet. As he closed his eyes, he heard someone approaching, and a few seconds later a pair of arms hugged him gently from behind.

“I was wondering when you’d be back, my love.”

Drakson smiled to himself as he placed a hand over one of hers.

“I know, Karaks. It has been a busy few weeks.”

She let go so he could turn around to face her, her void-purple eyes glowing warmly as he met her gaze. Even though she had taught him to speak Eliksni, she preferred to use English when talking with him.

“Let me help you out of your armor.”

 

A few minutes later the jet-black armor and cloak was displayed on the stand, Drakson sitting on the odd couch in a custom-made Eliksni undersuit, the kind that Vandals and those above wore beneath their armor. Karaks had was half sitting, half-lying as she leaned against him, her own armor on the makeshift crate-table. She had kept her own undersuit and breathing apparatus on, the latter out of necessity for survival. Her eyes was closed as his hand was gently stroking her shoulder, causing an odd, almost purring sound to come from her chest.

“I still find it strange that you purr like that.”

The purring turned into a soft giggle as she wrapped all four arms around him.

“Better get used to it, because you’re the one who makes me produce that sound.”

Now it was his turn to chuckle as he leaned his head down, touching foreheads with her.

“It really has been too long since we shared a moment like this, wouldn’t you say?”

“Mm, yes.”

She opened her eyes slowly and looked into his orange optical sensors, moving a hand to his chin.

“Remember the day you saved my life? All those years ago?”

“How could I forget? I couldn’t just let you die, even if you were my enemy at the time.”

Karaks giggled again, closing her eyes and shifting closer.

“The way you cut down the Hive attacking us, Thrall, Acolyte and Knight alike… it was incredible. I had never seen anything like it.”

“I can’t explain why I did it… it was like a thought just appeared in my head. To save you guys at all costs. Still, only two of your Claw survived.”

Drakson sighed softly, causing Karaks to gently squeeze him in her wide embrace.

“I lost quite a few, yes. But you saved some. And some are better than none, considering it was the start of our friendship.”

She looked up at the displayed cloak, the golden wolf motif reflecting the lamplight. Drakson smiled softly and nodded.

“True. Without you, where would I be now?”

A few more moments passed before Karaks got up, turning towards him.

“Come on, Draco. Let’s get some rest, hm?”

She held out a hand to him, and pulled him to his feet as he grabbed it.

“Sounds like a good idea.”

He replied as he walked towards the large bunk, still holding her hand as she followed.

 

Drakson woke up slowly, letting a brief moment of disorientation pass before looking around. Karaks was still sleeping soundly, her head leaned against his bare metal chest. He smiled and ran a finger across the exposed chitin plates on her back; it was soft, yet sturdy. His finger reached something metallic, and he knew without looking what it was; the base of her upper left arm, which was purely robotic after the Twilight Gap. She didn’t much mind it though, jokingly stating that it made her closer to him. He smiled to himself, holding her close as he laid his head back down on the synthetic pad serving as a pillow.

_No need to rush getting up. We’re gonna take it easy for the next few days, after all._

 

On the table, next to the lamp, Angel was resting on a pedestal Fokak had made for her. It was essentially a miniature induction rod connected to a conductive plate, heating up her core comfortably. She quite liked how the gentle warmth made her relaxed, actually letting her experience something close to rest. Her blue eye was watching the two in the bunk, and she felt quite happy for them and herself.

_I picked a great Guardian… so caring about the ones he loves, me included._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quite short chapter, but I thought I'd try to expand a bit upon Draco and Karaks' relationship. They haven't had much quality time lately, so it seemed fair to give them a small break between operations, missions and adventures.


	18. The Ishtar Archives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Instead of the calm days that Drakson envisioned, the Vanguard sends him on a mission back to the Ishtar Sink on behalf of Master Rahool, the Tower's cryptoarcheologist. And within the old structures awaits an old acquaintance.

“So much for a few restful days...”

Drakson muttered to himself as he waited for the massive vault door in front of him to open. Angel was working on a console beside him, her eye focused intensely on it.

<Security here is extreme… but nothing _I_ can’t handle.”

She stated proudly as the door shifted somewhat with a groan, before slowly pulling apart to reveal a large passageway behind it. The Ghost turned to Drakson, buzzing with pride as she flitted over to him

<There we are. What would you do without me?>

“For starters, I wouldn’t be alive.”

He replied with a chuckle, holding out a hand to her. She landed in it and vanished, once again part of his Light.

<True. Now, how about we check on that archive? Rahool seemed very eager to get his hands on the contents.>

“Yeah, just wish he could have waited a few more days...”

He could hear Angel’s giggling in his helmet as he walked into the passage, looking at the ancient skeletons.

<No need to hide what you two get up to. I’m in the room too, after all. You think I haven’t noticed?>

Drakson actually stopped in his tracks as he reached the staircase on the other side.

“That… I’ve never actually thought about that. You’ve… watched us when-”

<Oh, no! Of course not, I’ve decided to let you have privacy! But what I mean is that I know what goes on.>

Now it was his turn to chuckle.

“Well… how do you feel about it? I realize everything between me and Karaks… I’ve never asked your opinion on any of it.”

She rematerialized in front of his head, gliding slowly forward so her shell bumped against his helmet.

<Draco… I could not be happier for you, or more proud of what you two have accomplished. Everything you have done has made me certain I picked the right Guardian. I love you, in my own way. Never forget that.>

He smiled inside his helmet, cupping her shell with a hand.

“I won’t, Angel. Thank you.”

Her eye blinked in reply, then she vanished in a flash. Her soft, warm voice emerged from inside his helmet once more.

“So… let’s find the archive!”

 

At the bottom of the stairs was a small, circular room which opened up into a large chamber. It was cold, almost bitingly so. Drakson looked around at the data stacks and cooling towers, a thin mist laying along the floor.

<Unbelievable… the archive’s power is still partially activated.>

“Yeah… This place must have a lot of data if they need this much cooling.”

<Rahool will be quite happy, I think.>

As he took a few more steps in, the lights turned on and a strange voice was heard over the facility intercom.

“Welcome, Dr. Shim. Please enter your security clearance code.”

The Hunter stopped and looked around in confusion. Angel seemed equally puzzled.

<Dr. Shim? Nevermind that. Let’s hit that terminal up ahead.>

Drakson nodded, walking past various server banks and to a terminal connected to a massive computer… or something like it.

<This place is larger than the archives in Old Accra… amazing.>

Angel commented as she materialized, getting to work on the console. A few seconds later, the facility’s intercom came to life again.

“Thank you, Dr. Shim. Shall I begin correlation of Vex Mind Core samples?”

<So polite, huh? Let’s see what they got here...”

A few lights flickered somewhat, and Drakson turned towards the entrance as he heard faint noises. Apparently he wasn’t the only to notice.

“Dr. Shim, security breach detected! Initiate Protocol 19!”

“Winter bastards followed us in...”

He grumbled, drawing his shrapnel launcher and moving to cover behind a server bank. He remained still, waiting for them to draw closer. A few Shanks flew past him, not noticing the Hunter. Three Dregs followed as well, looking around in front but not to their sides. A lone Vandal brought up the rear, and spotted him. Before it could alert the rest, however, a knife was lodged in its throat, and Drakson caught it as it fell forward. Laying the dead Eliksni gently on the floor, he snuck up behind the rest of the squad, taking out the Dregs with his knife before tearing the Shanks to shreds with the shrapnel launcher.

_Never knew what hit them…_

 

Before he could return to the terminal, the lights went out, plunging the room into relative darkness. The surfaces around him were lit red by the glowing lights on his armor.

_Great…_ _now what?_

“Remote hub failure. Routing disrupted.”

Angel came over to him, having left the terminal.

<Guess they have a Servitor feeding of the power somewhere.>

“Agreed.”

He readied a smoke bomb as she vanished, and peeked around the corner. He counted five sets of glowing blue eyes, as well as a Servitor by a fuse box, easily identified by the purple light around it. He detonated the smoke bomb in his hand, the unique void particles reacting with his armor and rendering him invisible. Hidden by both cloaking and the shadows, he moved silently towards the Winter warriors, and cut three of the Vandals down before being noticed due to the smoke wearing off. One of the Vandals roared at him, a burst of molten shrapnel being the Kell’s reply. It slumped to the floor with shredded armor, chitin and flesh singed and smoking as its fellow Vandal met the same fate. The Servitor turned towards Drakson, its purple eye charging up to fire a blast at him. The Hunter jumped into the air, above the bolt, and fired into the Servitor; it fell to the floor and exploded as the circuitry within was melted, fused and overloaded. He landed among the bent and twisted pieces of its shell, letting Angel head over to the fuse box.

<Hm… they made a mess here, but I got this.>

She turned around proudly as she finished the quick repair, though the lights still refused to activate.

<Must be tapping in somewhere else.>

“Figures.”

 

The second Servitor was easy to spot in the dark room, on top of the catwalks above.

_An easy kill._

Drakson thought confidently, just as a cloaked Vandal opened fire with a shock rifle. Barely dodging out of the way, he chucked a lob of void energy towards the source, purple flames fanning outwards from the point of impact and engulfing three Stealth Vandals. They quickly dropped, smoking and burnt, leaving the Servitor alone. Drakson charged at it, drawing his shock blade and driving it straight into its eye. The purple lights dimmed and it crashed down onto the metal catwalk, rolling backwards slowly as the Kell pulled the blade out again. Angel flew over to a smoking fuse box, quickly patching it up as well.

<All good again. Still detecting hostiles, though.>

“How many?”

Drakson asked as he reloaded the shrapnel launcher, aiming at the floor below. Angel flashed out of existence again as the lights came back on.

<Just three. Over by the terminal.>

He smiled to himself, reaching for the void. It answered, a bow appearing in his hand. He lifted it and aimed; the terminal itself, as well as the remaining enemies, were out of his sight. But he could see the computer core that was behind the terminal. He pulled back the string, an arrow forming in response. As he exhaled, he let it fly; it impacted the massive tower, an orb of void forming and sending down three tendrils towards the hidden threat.

“Bullseye...”

Drakson nodded and drew the shock blade, jumping over the railing, rolling upon landing and rushing forward. The two Vandals fell before they knew he was there, while the third was on its knees, struggling against the tether. There was something familiar about this Captain… no, Baron. Drakson knocked the shrapnel launcher out of its grip as the tether faded, before kicking it to the ground, blade aimed at its throat.

/We meet again… Grayliks./

The Winter Baron’s eyes widened in surprise at the Eliksni tongue, then he began squirming under the Hunter’s boot.

/Not you… not you! You dishonored me!/

/No. You had no honor to lose./

The Night Kell replied curtly, plunging the shock blade into the Baron’s throat. Ether seeped out, whisking upwards before falling down again, like a small fountain. Grayliks’ limbs twitched as life left his body, soon laying still as his eyes dimmed to black. Drakson withdrew the blade and sheathed it on his back, under the cloak.

“Now that that’s over with… Angel?”

She blinked into existence once more, flying over to the terminal and resuming her work. Drakson gave the Winter Baron one last look before walking away.

<This archive is amazing… pathways to other galaxies… mappings of a Vex underworld, a place called the Vault of Glass… hm. Hopefully the Cryptarch can make sense of it.>

“Hopefully he’ll let me have more than two days off. When you send him the data, tell him I’m not a glorified data retriever. I got more important things to do than dig up old places like this.”

Angel giggled and “nodded”, her shell moving up and down.

<Will do. Now, I think you want back to base?>

“Yeah. Transmat us out.”


	19. The Scourge of Winter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hour of revenge is at hand... Drakson discovers that Cayde-6 authorized two other Nightstalkers to hunt down Draksis, and the Night Kell steps in to personally assume command of the mission, and settle the 200-year old score between them.

The Vanguard Hall was unusually quiet and peaceful, an extremely rare occurrence. More often than not, Guardians would be running to and from the mentors, either to get advice, acquire new gear or be debriefed on upcoming missions. At times, though they were few and far between, a Guardian would simply stand still and stare at their assigned mentor, as if their driving will had hit a pause button and gone to do something else. But not today. Today, it was only Cayde, Zavala, Ikora and a few technicians occupying the room. And the Vanguard were currently engaged in a small discussion.

“Look, I’m telling ya, it’ll be fine! There’s nothing to worry about.”

“You know very well that won’t be the case if he finds out what you did.”

“Ikora has a point. You know how he feels about this target. If he finds out that you sanctioned an attack without telling him, the result could get… messy.”

“I’ve got this, okay? Trust me, there’s no way he’ll ever-”

“CAYDE!”

The three turned towards the black-clad Guardian walking towards them. He moved with a brisk, determined walk, and his hands were clenched fists.

“Looks like he found you out.”

“Ikora, I got this. Hey, Draco! Didn’t, eh… Didn’t expect to see you so soon! What brings you here, heh, today?”

The Hunter strolled right past Ikora and looked Cayde dead in the eyes.

“You authorized a mission against Draksis and you DIDN’T TELL ME?!”

Cayde slowly took a step backwards, hands raised before him as if to protect him from Drakson’s anger.

“Uhm… How did you find out?”

“I talked with Sokrates-115 out in the plaza. He told me that YOU had organized another mission for him and one of your other Nightstalkers. So please, explain to me how you thought this was a GOOD IDEA.”

“Perhaps we should-”

“I appreciate the support, Zavala. Really, I do, but I got this, alright? Look, that monster has been leading more and more raids on our reclamation convoys. Something had to be done now, and I wanted to let you know, but there was no way to tell you without someone overhearing. Either someone here in the City detects and outbound signal to Old London and start asking questions, or the Eliksni pick up the broadcast and your secret base isn’t so secret anymore.”

“And you couldn’t just travel out there yourself because…?”

“Because I… well, I… That’s actually a good point.”

As Cayde stood lost in thought, Zavala took over for the Hunter.

“Well, now that you’re here, you can take command of the team we’re sending. That way Draksis will finally be eliminated, and you can have your long-awaited revenge.”

“That sounds reasonable. I will do that. Of course, I would have even if you didn’t suggest it. Now it’s just more “official” instead of me hijacking your operation.”

As Drakson walked back out towards the plaza, Ikora and Zavala simply stared at Cayde in silence. It took him a full minute to notice them, and he shrugged in confusion, acting as if they had just accused him of something.

“What? Told you I had it.”

 

Above Venus, three jumpships dropped out of NLS; a black and red BKR-class, a heavily modified Kestrel-class with a black paintjob and yellow lights, and a Dead Orbit-manufactured Regulus-class. The three dove through Venus’ atmosphere towards the Ishtar Sink. Inside the Blockaderunner, Drakson sat deep in thought, thinking about the upcoming mission. Surely Draksis would be prepared for his return? His train of thought was cut short by the ship’s radio crackling to life.

“So, Draco, how did you convince Cayde to take charge of this? Not saying I dislike it or anything, but Sokrates and I are able to handle this on our own. Just another assassination.”

It was Leda, the second Nightstalker Cayde had picked out. She wasn’t the brightest Awoken, but hopefully she could fight. Cayde wouldn't send her on this mission if she wasn’t a good shot.

“Let’s just say Draksis and I share history. I’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time.”

“Share history, huh? Did you date him, or something? Didn’t realize bugs were your type.”

Drakson could hear Leda and Sokrates laugh over the radio, but didn’t respond.

_Perhaps we’ll suffer some casualties. It is a high-risk mission, after all._

He quickly shook away the thought, and looked back at the planet below. She didn’t know about his House, or Karaks. She had no idea that such a remark would offend him like that. She just made an innocent joke in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“Draco, you alright? You’re strangely quiet.”

Sokrates had noticed the lack of response, so Drakson quickly replied.

“Oh, sorry. Just noticed a spider had somehow gotten in here. I tried asking for its number.”

He could hear Leda break out in laughter again, and Sokrates chuckled at the terrible follow-up.

_Well, I was never great at humor anyway._

 

An hour later, the team had gathered at the outskirts of the area known as the “Ember Caves”. The entrance to the House of Winter’s lair was located here, and it was guarded; One Captain, seven Vandals, twelve Dregs and some Shanks were all milling around the platforms and barricades, keeping eye out for any signs of trouble. The silence was cut by Leda mumbling.

“For a House of Winter, they really like warm places.”

“What?”

Leda looked over at Drakson, her yellow eyes glowing in the dark Venusian night.

“Just saying. They are called the House of _Winter_ , right? Why pick a lair in an area with volcanic activity?”

“Because their names go back to before they became scavengers. They hold on to their ancient banners and names to retain some sense of honor and nobility. Although, in Winter's case, there’s not much honor to talk about.”

The Awoken brushed her black hair aside and looked back at the entrance.

“You sure know a lot about the Fallen. You must have spent quite some time among them.”

_More than you realize, young one._

“Alright, how are we gonna play this?”

Sokrates was looking through the scope of his sniper rifle, but Drakson knew the question was directed at him.

“If you can snipe from here, me and Leda will sneak closer. On my mark, take out the Captain, followed by the others on the main platform. We’ll engage at close range with you providing fire support. Once the entrance is clear, we push into the lair.”

Leda drew her scout rifle, a one-of-a-kind Golden Age MIDA model. She hadn’t revealed where she got it, and Drakson didn’t blame her. Every Hunter has their secrets.

“Sounds like fun. What d’ya think, Sokrates?”

The Exo checked his custom-tooled sniper. It was a piece of well-made equipment; a Saigon LR5, but with a custom stock, upgraded scope and a silencer. On top of that, he had taped the remnants of an ancient ghillie suit onto the scope to better hide the light reflected by the glass. Sokrates called it the “Patience and Time”, because that’s all you needed as a marksman. Just wait for the correct moment, pull the trigger, and the job was done. In response to Leda’s question, he pulled back the bolt to make sure the rifle was loaded.

“Just be careful out there.”

The three Hunters donned their helmets before Leda and Drakson jumped down as Sokrates took up a sniping position on the outcropping. Drakson threw a smoke bomb at their feet; the particles in the smoke reacted with their armors’ nanomaterials to create a localized cloaking field, effectively rendering them invisible. A good thing too, as Leda’s Sanction Custom armor had quite a few bright pink details and accents. She headed towards the group of three Dregs and a Vandal on the left, directly beneath the platform. She would wait just below the small ledge between their plateau and the lower ground. Drakson went right, aiming for a rocky outcropping next to the larger group of Vandals, Dregs and Shanks, next to the ramp leading to the platforms. As soon as he was in position, he looked towards the white-and-pink Hunter. She nodded in response. He shifted his gaze back to the outcropping, and waved his hand once. As a muffled shot rang out, the Kell of Night rushed towards the unsuspecting Winter forces, shrapnel launcher drawn and firing. Both Shanks and three Dregs fell before the remainders realized they were under attack. A second later, the two Vandals fell, accompanied by the last Dreg shortly after. Drakson spared no time as he ran up the ramp and turned towards the entry. The Captain lied dead on the ground, and a Vandal followed suit as another soft “crack” was heard. Three foolhardy Dregs charged at Drakson, but were swiftly dispatched by the shrapnel launcher’s fiery rounds. As he reached the entrance, a third shot found its mark, another Vandal, and Leda was already cutting down the last Vandal who had tried to snipe Sokrates with its wire rifle. As it fell clutching its throat, Leda turned and stepped over to Drakson in front of the now-clear entrance. In her right hand she held her scout rifle with a smoking barrel, and in her left she twirled her ether-stained knife.

“That was easy.”

“Maybe so, but there are more inside. A lot more.”

“Meh. That just means more fun.”

Drakson stood puzzled by the young Hunter’s indifference until Sokrates rejoined them.

“Now what?”

“We head inside. We move fast and hit hard. If we’re quick enough, we can reach Draksis before he realizes there’s a threat and recalls all his forces to box us in. If that happens, our chances of getting through to him becomes almost zero.”

“Leda was right. You really do know a lot about Fallen.”

“Yeah… How’s that?”

“When you’ve fought someone for over two hundred years, you eventually learn their combat tactics and strategies. Now let’s go.”

Drakson took point and headed through the entrance, avoiding any further explanation.

 

Inside was a short and narrow tunnel leading to a small cavern. The four Dregs present had no chance against the three Hunters, and a few seconds later they continued along the cave. After about thirty meters, it opened up to reveal a large chamber, divided in two by the height disparity; the lower part was mostly shadowed and had a large pool of water, heated up by Venus’ volcanic activity; the upper part would normally be lit up by sunlight, were it not for the current nighttime, as there was no ceiling. A few dozen Dregs were walking around, accompanied by several Shanks. On the upper parts were also a few Vandals armed with wire rifles, and a Captain overseeing the area. There was no way they could sneak past. They bunched up behind a rock, out of sight from the Winter forces present.

“Looks like I’ll get a real fight this time!”

Leda made no effort to contain her excitement, and Sokrates placed a hand on her shoulder in response.

“Yeah, congrats, you got your wish. But first let’s find out how we’re going to get through this. Draco? Any ideas?”

“On the upper part there’s a path that leads up to the ledges above. If I recall correctly, there should be a cave up there that leads out to the Cinders. That’s where Draksis was spotted.”

“So, we fight our way through these jokers! Right?”

Drakson reloaded the shrapnel launcher before responding.

“That seems to be the only option we have. Sokrates?”

The other Exo unholstered his Shingen-C auto rifle.

“Let’s go for it.”

“Leda?”

The Awoken had already drawn her MIDA.

“Born ready.”

“Weapons free!”

The Guardians leaped out from the rock, guns blazing. Several Dregs and a number of Shanks bit the dust before the rest retaliated. Drakson ran toward a group of Shanks, his molten rounds tearing right through their plating and circuits. As the two Vandals on the ramp connecting the lower and upper parts took aim, he jumped up and beheaded them both in one fluid motion, before pressing forward, shock blade still drawn. Leda and Sokrates could easily handle the remaining Dregs in the lower area. As Drakson dodged and slashed at the Captain and his Vandals, a cloaked figure lunged at his back. The Hunter spun in time to block the attack from the hidden Vandal, and pushed it back. This one was different from its peers, however; the armor was more ornately decorated, and its stance revealed it had undergone extensive training in Eliksni blade-combat. As the two circled each other, Drakson recognized the symbol on its helmet; the sigil of the House of Winter Kellsguard. This one would be a formidable foe. Without warning or indication, the Vandal charged directly at Drakson. He prepared to block the incoming hit, but at the last second, it shifted its weight and slashed lower than Drakson expected. He managed to block, but the sudden change in stance combined with the impact sent him off-balance. This bastard was clever and quick. But the technique was the same one Karaks had taught him. Which meant, that for all its speed and intelligence, it was still predictable. The Vandal lunged again, but this time Drakson was ready and intercepted the blade when it suddenly went for his shoulder instead of the knee. The Kellsguard staggered back in confusion, and that created the opening the Hunter needed. A split second later the Vandal was impaled on the Night Kell’s blade, and it fell to the ground, ether spewing from the gash. Drakson turned just in time to see a Vandal charging at him take a throwing knife in the face. Leda walked up beside him while taking out the last Vandal with a well-placed shot.

“You’re welcome.”

“I should be saying that to you.”

“Oh, really? I just saved you from a Vandal.”

“And I just beat a Kellsguard, so it couldn’t take you out.”

Leda looked down at the dead Kellsguard, and shrugged.

“I could’ve taken him.”

“Her, actually. And I doubt you could, young one.”

As Drakson walked toward the way further up, Sokrates stepped over to Leda.

“What’s his problem? And why does he call me “young one”? I’m not a damn kid.”

“He’s trying to look out for you. Granted, he has his own way of doing it. Remember, he’s over 200 years old, whereas you’re just over 20.”

“Hey! I’m older than that!”

“I’m talking after rebirth, here. He has more experience fighting the Fallen than any other Guardian. To him, you’re young and inexperienced. And with your fighting spirit, you come across as hotheaded.”

“So what? What do you want me to do about it?”

“Just follow his directions. No heroics, no fancy techniques you barely know. Just do as he says. Trust me, he’ll come around.”

Sokrates walked off to join Drakson at the ledge above them, leaving the Awoken to ponder his advice, before running to catch up with the two Exos.

 

On the other side of the yet-again-short-cave, and a remark from Leda about “Fallen loving caves”, was a massive valley, several kilometers across. On a normal day, or night in this case, one could easily see across to the other side, but this time, a ketch was parked in it. The hangar had opened to allow movement between the spaceship and the cliff it was next to. The three Hunters stared at the massive vehicle from the perch where they had come out.

“The Wintership Simiks-fel...”

“Been aboard it before, Draco?”

“Several times. Never thought I would actually be trying to break _in_ one day.”

Below them, another group of Dregs and Vandals were being directed by a Captain. None of them had spotted the impending threat above them. Drakson swore under his breath.

“Yet more to go through. Didn’t expect Draksis to be light on security anyway.”

“Draco, can I make a suggestion?”

He turned towards the young Awoken, eyes rolling underneath his helmet.

“Let me guess. Take them by surprise and cut them down before they can retaliate?”

“Actually, I thought we could take them out from here, one by one. Once most are down, you can move in to get the rest of them.”

Drakson looked at Leda in surprise, before turning his attention to Sokrates.

“You know me too well, old friend. Very well, let’s do this. You start firing while I make my way down.”

He drew his Promise and begun walking down the path towards the cliff. Meanwhile, Leda and Sokrates readied their sniper rifles and took aim at the enemies below. Two shots rang out shortly after, one muffled and one clear as day. As the remaining Vandals and Dregs scurried for cover, they were taken down by the sharpshooters. When a few attempted to make their way up to them, they ran into the barrel of a shock pistol, and the ground shortly after that. Those who had managed to hide from the sniper fire were swiftly shot by Drakson, and the ones trying to flee were picked off by Leda’s Supremacy.

 

As the three regrouped by the cliff’s edge, Drakson gave Leda a pat on the back.

“Good thinking, kiddo.”

Sokrates put a round into the head of the dead Captain for good measure, before looking at the two.

“You should take point, Draco. You’re the only one who know the layout of a ketch.”

“Technically, every ketch has a different layout. But yes, I know the layout of this one. It’s gonna be close-quarters, so stay close, check your corners, and whatever you do, don’t get separated. You’ll get lost in there.”

The group moved into the open hangar, and advanced through a door on an upper platform. Following Drakson’s lead through the corridors, they eventually made their way to an open room, eliminating small groups of Dregs on their way there. As they stepped out of the door, a pack of Dregs and Vandals led by a Servitor opened fire on the Hunters, who ducked into cover. Sokrates groaned in annoyance.

“Well, this is just great! We’re pinned down!”

“I can see that, Sokrates. Thanks for the update.”

“So what’s your plan here?”

“Does a triple-tether sound good?”

“We’ll have to spread them out to cover as much ground as possible, but otherwise, that might work.”

“Leda, lock down the left side. Sokrates, you take the middle. I’ll aim for the Servitor on the right.”

“Left, got it.”

“Copy.”

“Alright, on three. One… Two… Three!”

As Leda spun around the left side of the monitor screen they were behind and fired, Drakson did the same on the right while Sokrates jumped above and fired mid-air. As soon as their Shadowshots activated, they opened fire. In ten seconds flat, the room was clear. As they stepped over the bodies, Drakson noticed the Kellsguard sigil on three of the Vandals. Sokrates stopped next to him.

“More Kellsguard. We must be close.”  
Drakson nodded, inspecting the dead Kellsguard members before looking up.

“Throne room is just through the door on the right.”

Leda walked up to them as well.

“So we get in there, triple-team that bastard, and go home. Yeah?”

“No.”

Sokrates and Leda looked at Drakson in surprise.

“No? But that’s our mission.”

“She’s right, Draco. What do you mean?”

The Night Kell stepped towards the door, before turning to his fellow Guardians.

“I will finish this alone. Draksis and I have a score to settle. You stay here. I’ll be right back.”

And without further ado, he walked through the door, into another corridor. Straight ahead was a staircase with another door at the top. As if she sensed his hesitation, Angel popped in next to him.

<Don’t worry. We got this.>

Without another word, she blinked away, and Drakson walked up the stairs.

 

Behind the door was a more open room, and the walls were adorned with objects that Drakson could only guess were supposed to be trophies. In the back was a Kell’s throne, and seated on it was Drakson’s age-old nemesis, the Winter Kell himself. Upon noticing the intruder, Draksis stood up and laughed in his deep, rumbling voice, before addressing the Hunter in the Eliksni tongue.

/You are more tenacious than I thought. I found it unlikely you would even get on my ketch, much less make it all the way to me. Yet here you are./

Drakson walked forward calmly, while eyeing his surroundings. Anything that could be used to his advantage, he made mental a note of. As he stood before the throne, he replied in Draksis’ language.

/Getting here wasn’t that hard. Though I’ll admit, your forces did put up one hell of a fight. But in the end, not even your Kellsguard could defeat us./

The massive Eliksni took a few steps forward, and looked the Hunter in the eyes. His arms weren’t even at the ready to draw a weapon.

/You fight like a true Eliksni. Like a true Kell. Therefore, I will fight you as one. I, the Kell of Winter, challenge you, the Kell of Night, in the ways of old./

/And what exactly are the ways of old? A good old monologue followed by a backstabbing?/

/No. Much simpler. Draw your blade, and I’ll draw mine. And then we fight to the death./

Drakson put his hand on the shock blade sheathed on his back.

/That’s it? Alright, challenge accepted./

Draksis drew the blade sheathed on his belt, and pointed it at the Guardian.

/Then may the weakest die, and the strongest live./

 

The next few moments were just a blur in Drakson’s memory. Both he and Draksis struck and parried and counterstruck over and over in a speed that didn’t leave time for thinking or planning. Instinct and strength was all that mattered. In the end, Drakson dodged an overhead swing while slashing at his foe’s chest, and instantly prepared for the inevitable strike from the side.

 

But it never came.

 

A second later, the Winter Kell dropped to his knees and fell backwards, his shock blade clattering against the floor. Drakson realized what had just happened as ether started drifting out of the wound, snaking its way upwards through the air. He stepped over to the fallen Kell’s side, and knelt down beside him, his own blade once again sheathed on his back. Revenge was finally his, but the sense of joy he expected never arrived. In its place was only sorrow for his archenemy, dying before him. As the Hunter gazed at him, Draksis lifted two of his arms and removed the upper part of his helmet. Beneath it, three blue eyes looked at Drakson; his inner left eye was black, thanks to their last meeting.

“Feel that, young one?”

His voice was much softer and calmer now, and he was addressing the Hunter in English. An unusual sign of respect.

“ _Now_ it is over.”

“It doesn’t feel like I thought it would...”

Draksis chuckled softly, before looking directly at Drakson.

“Revenge never does… but… you won. You are the strongest of us. You fought like only a few Kells have before you.”

“And you fought with honor, Draksis, Kell of Winter.”

He chuckled softly again, before he reached up and grasped the Hunter’s hand.

“Honor has… been gone for so long… but you brought it back. You have what it takes, Kell of Night… Protect your people… our people.”

Drakson was now gripping the Eliksni’s hand tightly, as if he didn’t want to let go of their 200-year old conflict. Draksis’ grip, on the other hand, was loosening, and he was now staring at the ceiling of his throne room.

“As one Kell falls, another Kell rises...”

Slowly, his three good eyes lost their glow, and he was gone. Drakson stood up, and took a final look at the one who had captured, tortured and killed him again and again so long ago. And to his surprise, he felt only remorse.

“A warrior at birth, a warrior in death.”

He did not know why he felt the need to honor Draksis with those words, but he did. Then he turned and walked back out the door he had come in through earlier.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one took a while to write! I wasn't sure how to let the battle between the Kells and the aftermath play out, but I'm pretty happy with the result. No one is fully bad, not even Draksis. And two centuries gives a lot of time to get to know each other, as well as develop respect despite the hate.  
> Also, the next chapter won't be out for a while as it hasn't been written yet, unlike the last ones. In advance, thank you for your patience :)


	20. Lunar Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few months after Draksis' defeat, Drakson's sleep is haunted by nightmares of the Light-Eater, Crota. Despite Karaks and Angel's assurances, the dreams do not stop until their liege herself intervenes to bring the Kell a new mission.

“Every night is the same...”

Drakson sighed, sitting at the edge of the large custom-forged bed. His quarters had gotten an upgrade in the months after Draksis’ death, namely having been combined with Karaks’ room. The two had become one large room, a decision that Karaks had wholeheartedly approved of. The furnishings had been altered as well to accommodate two individuals instead of only one.

“Every time I close my eyes, I see that towering bastard of a Hive Prince… glowing and wreathed in green flames...”

Two pairs of arms embraced him from behind, Karaks’ head appearing on his shoulder as she hugged him gently. She wasn’t wearing her breathing apparatus, as the whole “residential” sector of the Lair was now filled with Ether. Her many needle-like teeth were visible, but her expression was one of comfort.

“It’s okay, Draco. You and the others killed him, didn’t you?”

“We did, yes… but that doesn’t stop the nightmares from returning. I don’t even understand how I’m having nightmares, I’m a damn Exo!”

_It should be the Deep Stone Crypt… not this hellscape._

He hid his face in his hands, closing his eyes. Karaks let go and scooted over to his side, hugging him closely once more, holding his head to her exposed chitin.

“It’s okay, my love. It’s okay. They’re just dreams. When you wake up you’ll still be here, safe in my arms.”

She glanced up at Angel, who was hovering close by as she watched the two. The Baroness tilted her head slightly, and the Ghost was able to understand the gesture. She flitted over, bumping her shell against Drakson’s shoulder.

<She’s right. We’re both here for you. Just… let it out, I suppose.>

Drakson nodded slightly in the gentle grasp, wrapping his arms around Karaks’ abdomen.

“Listen to Angel, my love. It’s just the three of us in here. No one in the House will know of whatever happens in this room, not unless you wish them too. Even the mightiest of us have moments of weakness and uncertainty.”

Drakson’s body was now shaking slightly, having taken their advice; if Exos could cry, then there would be tears running down Karaks’ chest. The Eliksni in question was gently stroking his back soothingly, whispering reassurances. Angel had landed on her shoulder, adding to the calming statements.

 

A few minutes later, Angel was at her small resting module, and the pair was sleeping; Karaks still embracing her mate and Kell, keeping him as safe as she could. Her breathing was slow, calm and rhythmic, indicating a deep and peaceful sleep. Lately he had been the one resting in her embrace, instead of the usual opposite. But she was not bothered. Her mate’s mind was troubled after the assault on Crota’s throne world, and she would do whatever she could to help him recover.

 

Drakson was standing on top of a ruined building, overlooking the main entrance to the Midnight Lair. He looked down at himself; he was in his armor, except for the helmet.

“How... did I get up here? When did I go up here?”

He said out loud, expecting Angel to reply. But instead, a familiar voice from somewhere behind him answered.

“You are here because I placed you here.”

He turned around, spotting a strange yet familiar figure coming up to him. It was some kind of horse, its fur coat a shade of blue. Its mane was a constantly moving weave of stars and dark blue mist, almost like a living nebula. But the strangest part was the horn on its forehead, and the folded wings along the sides. He smiled to himself as he realized who it was.

“Luna, my liege. I’m dreaming, aren’t I?”

Luna returned his smile as she walked up beside him, standing just slightly taller.

“That is correct. I know you’ve never seen me in this form before, but it’s how I used to be, long ago.”

She sat down, unfolding a wing and placing it over Drakson’s back as he followed suit.

“You really were a winged horse with a horn? And your mane and tail are so… floaty. Did you really look like this?”

Much to his surprise, Luna giggled in response before nodding.

“Yes. I was once what my world called an “alicorn”. A being of strength, flight and magic.”

“Magic? Really?”

Drakson raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing her. Luna looked at him with a smile, nodding once more.

“Yes, magic. Is it so hard to believe? Think of the powers you Guardians wield; would you not say the way you control the Light is like magic? Summoning blades of lightning, willing forth weapons with the sun’s fury, trapping your foes with exotic particles and dark energy?”

The Hunter looked down, seeing the point she was making.

“Okay, you’re right. But there’s one thing I have to ask. No, three actually.”

“Ask ahead, Kell of Night.”

He lifted his head again, meeting her gaze. Her eyes were a soft cyan, almost shining like gemstones.

“One; Why do you speak with me so… calmly? It’s very unlike our previous conversations… then, you were commanding, regal almost. Like a higher power that I felt compelled to bow to. But now, it’s like… talking with a trusted friend.”

“Am I not a trusted friend, though?”

Luna smiled warmly to him.

“I may be the liege of you and your House, but that does not mean I do not have a more ‘casual’ side. You are not just my chosen, you are like friends to me. After all, it is the basis of the magic I used to wield.”

“So, old habits die hard?”

“You could put it like that, yes.”

Luna giggled again, looking up at the slightly cracked moon. Drakson followed her gaze, staying silent for a few moments before asking once more.

“Two; Why did you bring me here? I assume there is a reason other than to just hang out?”

“You are correct.”

Luna nodded, still looking at the moon.

“I brought you here because I have to both show you something, as well as tell you something. First...”

The scenery around them changed to a grey, empty landscape. Drakson looked around in confusion, spotting a blue and green orb in the black sky.

“Are we… on the moon?”

Luna nodded with a small smile, still sitting beside him. In front of them was a strange structure, made of black and grey spires, green lights visible here and there.

“Not in reality, but in this dream, yes. This is the Sea of Tranquility, and what you see there is a Hive fortress.”

Drakson stood up, inspecting the massive structure; it seemed halfway carved into the surrounding rifts and cracks in the surface.

“Okay, so… why?”

Luna got to her hooves, her horn lighting up as three ghostly figures appeared beside her; two were humanoid, one looking like an armored Titan, and the other like a robed Warlock. The last was unmistakably Karaks.

“These two Guardians are my other champions, and your loved one will journey with you. You four will meet here, and you will conquer this fortress. From here, you will fight the Darkness and its forces, more free from the City and your Vanguard. If you are to win this war, you cannot hide behind your walls. Sooner or later, there will be a foe that your walls will not stop.”

Drakson nodded, smiling slightly.

“So we operate independently? No more taking orders from Zavala? I can get behind that.”

Luna smiled and shook her head.

“Whether you want to be fully independent or not is up to you three. As for you, are you not already operating outside Vanguard jurisdiction?”

The Hunter nodded with a small shrug.

“Well, yeah… I suppose so.”

“Thought so.”

The scenery around them changed again, and now they were floating in the space between the moon and Earth.

“You had another question?”

Luna’s wings were unfolded, making her seem even more imposing; each was almost as long as her. Drakson nodded, looking her in the eyes.

“Yes. Three; Who is Solra’s liege? Who is the Solar Sister?”

“Ah, I was wondering when you’d ask. Ember, as she is called, is from my world as well.”

“So, she’s also an acorn horse thing?”

She chuckled softly, moving closer to him until her hooves touched his shoulder.

“No, she’s a dragon. A small one, compared to the rest of her kind, but she became the Dragonlord for a reason.”

“A dragon? I… well, I was gonna say that seems impossible, but given how all of this should be impossible… why not? A dragon, okay.”

Luna smiled, nodding as she placed a hoof in his hand.

“Now you are thinking correctly. Don’t dismiss anything as impossible until you are absolutely certain. Come, I have taken enough of your time.”

He held onto her hoof as they began descending towards the Earth below them, faster and faster. His usual fear of falling was gone, nonexistent in this dream world.

“So, before we’re done… can you help me get rid of my nightmares?”

Luna looked back at him as she was leading the way down, the resistance from the atmosphere not having any impact whatsoever.

“I can, my friend. Don’t worry, I won’t let your memories of the Light-Eater trouble your sleep anymore. Now, return to your loved one. And in three days, travel to the fortress.”

The ground was rushing towards them, and the Hunter barely had time to nod before everything around him vanished.

 

Drakson woke up back in the bed, feeling Karaks’ body against his back, her forehead resting against his neck. He smiled to himself before closing his eyes once more and placing a hand on one of hers, his five metallic fingers gripping onto her three chitin-plated ones.

_Luna… thank you. For all you’ve done. I won’t let you down._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trying to stick to a regular upload schedule at the moment, so expect to see a new update on this series every sunday!


	21. Sea of Tranquility

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drakson and Karaks follow Luna's call to the Moon, where they meet her other two champions, as well as the Hive fortress they are to seize.

Once, this area of the moon had marked humanity’s first steps on a celestial body other than Earth, a monumental milestone in their history. Now, it was just another part of the growing Hive infestation, another sign of how far mankind had fallen since those days. Drakson sighed as the skiff Karaks was flying approached the location they both felt drawn towards; Luna’s call.

“You’re tense, my love. Relax, this won’t be like our trip to Mars.”

Karaks looked back at Drakson over her shoulder, her purple eyes glowing brightly. The Hunter let out a held breath and nodded.

“I know… I’m just not sure how I feel about revealing your existence to other Guardians.”

The Baroness chuckled and resumed her attention to the screens and controls.

“I’m certain Luna would not have wanted me to come if her other champions would reveal the secret.”

Drakson nodded in agreement, leaning back in his seat. On the grey, dusty plains ahead, two landed jumpships had come into view; a stealth-black Phaeton-class, and a newly refurbished Arcadia-class. Two figures were standing between them, looking around. As the skiff drew closer, one of them raised a rifle towards it, though it didn’t fire.

_Great… jumpy. Fantastic._

 

The skiff came to a halt next to the other jumpships, hovering in place as the circular bay doors in the back opened. The Titan kept its rifle trained on the back as Drakson dropped down, standing up to meet its gaze. The Titan was clad in metal grey, smooth-plated Spektar armor with orange glowing chroma heatsinks. There was no mark on its waist, just a simple belt with utility pouches. Drakson thought it looked familiar, and the Titan seemingly shared the recognition as it lowered the strange, yellow and black rifle.

“Well, well. If it isn’t Draco-192. Didn’t think we’d see you again after we took down Crota.”

The Warlock walked up beside her, wearing New Monarchy branded robes and armor.

“Indeed. Certainly didn’t anticipate meeting you here.”

Drakson walked up to them, recognizing them now. They had been part of the raid against Crota just a few weeks ago.

“Right, thought you seemed familiar. Uhm… what were your names again?”

The Titan sighed and shook her head.

“Cayde wasn’t kidding about you not being very social when it came to Guardians. I’m Dragon-19.”

“Selene Umber of the Praxic Order, apprentice of Eskil Nosoi.”

The Warlock added with a slight bow.

“Ah, right. The Exo trophy hunter and the newborn Awoken prodigy.”

Drakson came over and crossed his arms, looking the two over. Suddenly Dragon-19 raised her rifle again, aiming past him.

“Draco, what the hell? You got a stowaway!”

Behind him Karaks had dropped down, and was now growling in response to the threatening Titan as she drew her own shock blades. Drakson stepped in front of Dragon’s rifle, staring into her helmet visor.

“You gonna shoot her, you gotta get through me first.”

Selene and Dragon exchanged a few glances before the rifle was lowered, and Karaks came over to them. As she walked up beside Drakson she gripped his hand with her own, clearly wanting to display the truth of their relationship to the others.

“Both me and my Kell came here because Luna told us to.”

“Kell?”

Dragon shook her head, waving the question away. She didn’t care about an answer, it seemed. Selene, however, nodded at the sight before looking over the group.

“So, Luna brought the four of us here for a reason. Anyone have an idea what that reason might be?”

 

All four of them turned in unison as a soft, purple light emanated from behind Dragon. Luna herself, in her void form, was trotting over to them.

“Dragon-19. Drakson. Selene. Karaks. My champions, follow me.”

She kept going past them, continuing towards a fissure in the moon’s surface. The group followed her quietly, gazing down into the crack; nested inside was the entrance to a Hive fortress, just like Drakson had seen in his dream. The two other Guardians seemed to recognize it as well, as they were nodding to themselves.

“So, that’s our target, huh? The four of us against an entire fortress of Hive? Almost feel sorry for the bastards.”

Dragon was cracking her knuckles, clearly looking forward to the fight ahead. She had been at the head of every attack in the raid on Crota, though; charging first into battle, despite her being a Defender, and not a Striker. She was the one who had killed the Hive god with one of their own blades.

“Our combined powers should be sufficient to take over this fortress and repurpose it for our needs.”

Selene added, particles of Void dancing in the palm of her hand. She had been the leader during the raid, as the creepy ex-Hunter Eris Morn had chosen her to fight back against the Hive. Not that Drakson had noticed, he had been too busy dealing with the Houses of Devils and Winter, as well as making a few discreet dealings with the Awoken of the Reef, out in the asteroid belt.

“You will conquer this place, and use it in your fight against the Darkness.”

Luna’s voice was calm yet commanding as she turned to look at them.

“Good luck. The Void is always with you.”

And with those words she faded away, the Guardians’ Ghosts blinking into existence in unison. Angel was easily recognizable in her black-and-red shell as she chatted with Fenrir, Dragon’s Ghost with a silver-and-gold shell, featuring the wolf motif of the Iron Banner tournament; Dragon-19 was a champion in the Crucible. Selene’s Ghost, Shadow, was simply a pure black shell. He felt no need to stand out. After a few seconds, they all flitted over to their respective Guardians.

“Okay, we’ve ensured the Vanguard have no idea we’re here. After all, this is technically beyond their authority.”

“Thanks, Fenrir. I don’t like going against them, but...”

“To hell with their orders. We got our own, from a daughter of the Traveler herself.”

Selene looked over at Drakson with a sigh, and the Hunter got to his feet as he drew his shrapnel launcher. Karaks followed suit, her own blades drawn and ready for combat.

“Let’s make this happen.”

 

The battle was short, yet brutal. If the Hive could bleed the halls of the fortress would be stained by now, but instead they were filled with dust, ashes and pieces of armor that had not disintegrated. At the heart of the structure the four warriors now stood, looking at each other.

“Well… that was fun. Been a while since I got to smash some Hive skulls open.”

“Dragon, we did that just a few weeks ago. Do you never tire of crushing stuff?”

“Hey, I just enjoy doing my job. Besides, you should be thanking me for keeping you safe with my Wards, Selene.”

Drakson remained silent as the two bantered, Karaks standing beside him.

“Do all Given argue like this?”

She asked as she looked at him, wiping her blades clean of dust.

“Some do. They are clearly among them.”

As the argument settled down, he took a step forward.

“Right, so we got this place. I’m gonna let part of my Night Talon keep this place secure.”

“Okay, look, now I gotta ask. Why did that Fallen call you a ‘Kell’? Why do you act like you are one? Got a case megalomania or something?”

Dragon turned towards them, and Karaks growled softly at the Titan.

“I’m standing right here, you know. And my name is Karaks, Night Baroness.”

“Night Baroness? As in, House of Night? There’s no House called that.”

“There is, and I am its Kell.”

Dragon tilted her head, clearly not convinced. Drakson sighed in response and began recounting how he and Karaks had met, the 4-day civil war between the Devils, how Luna saved them and how they formed the House of Night. During the story, Dragon’s attitude went from skeptical to understanding, even sympathetic.

“Wow… I never thought that we’d actually have an allied House. Even if it technically doesn’t exist. But… is there anything else we should know?”

Drakson nodded slowly, smiling inside his helmet.

“Yes, there’s one thing...”

Karaks grabbed his hand in response, leaning her head on his shoulder and finishing the statement.

“We are mates.”

She giggled softly at the two Guardians’ body language, revealing their disbelief. Selene was the first to speak up, shaking her head.

“Well… congratulations, I suppose.”

“Yeah… good for you. I’m… gonna go now, I think. Need to process all this.”

Dragon began walking back toward the hallway leading further up and eventually out, before turning to look at them one last time.

“By the way… you two are adorable together.”

Drakson smiled softly inside his helmet as Karaks chuckled heartily. Selene nodded to them before looking around the chamber.

“Right, I’m gonna explore this place thoroughly. See if there’s any secrets the Hive kept here.”

“Then I guess we’ll head back home and organize the Night Talon.”

Karaks added, heading towards the exit with her mate in tow. Drakson chuckled as he followed.

“We’ll be back soon, Selene.”


	22. Warriors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Champions' adventure in the Sea of Tranquility did not go unnoticed, and now they are called in to yet another Vanguard meeting where Drakson and Zavala come to blows once more, and well-kept secrets are revealed...

“What exactly do you think you were doing?”

Drakson sighed to himself as Commander Zavala’s angry tone hit his audio processors. Both Selene and Dragon, standing beside him, seemed rather annoyed as well. It had only been a few hours since they had taken the fortress on the moon, and already the Vanguard had noticed.

“You traveled deep into uncharted enemy terrain without authorization, went radio silent and off the grid for three hours before returning on the feed, and now you refuse to explain what you were up to.”

The Commander leaned forward on the table in the Vanguard Hall, looking at the three. Cayde and Ikora were standing on either side of him, looking at each other. They weren’t too happy with the situation either, but it didn’t look like they approved of Zavala’s approach either. As Dragon and Selene remained silent, Drakson replied.

“That’s because it’s none of your business, Zavala.”

“You are Guardians. What you do, especially in forbidden territory, is our business. And though I am not surprised that you disregarded orders, I am shocked that you two did.”

He looked at the two other Guardians; Dragon averted her gaze, her blue Exo eyes looking towards the floor. Selene on the other hand crossed her arms, staring back at the Commander.

“We did what we were told to. We have been chosen by Luna, and we will see her wishes through to the end. Your concerns are secondary.”

“Commander, with all due respect… we simply did-”

“You went against Vanguard protocol! There is a reason we do not condone or even allow traveling into certain areas, it is for your own good!”

Zavala’s loud reprimand cut off Dragon’s attempt at explaining, and she fell quiet once more. The Titan Vanguard sighed and stood up straight again, calming his tone.

“Let it be clear, I hope this is the last time we will have this problem. But I must know that you are fighting for the City.”

Dragon looked up and nodded.

“I am, Commander. I always have, and I always will.”

Selene rolled her eyes.

“I fight the Darkness and the enemies of humanity. That’s what you want.”

Zavala didn’t seem too pleased with her response, but didn’t comment on it. All five of them looked to Drakson, waiting for his response.

“I am a Guardian of the City. But I have other obligations too.”

Cayde sighed and hid his face in his hand.

“Oh boy, here we go...”

“Your obligations are to humanity, the City and the Traveler!”

Zavala’s fist pounded down on the table, a few sparks running across its surface. The Hunter and Kell clenched his own fist, a few wisps of purple flame dancing around his fingers.

“I’m more than just a Guardian, Zavala. I am a Kell. You want me to turn my back on my House? Abandon my people.”

Zavala looked back at him, anger apparent in his eyes. His tone, however, was scarily calm.

“Your love for the Fallen blinds your judgment, Draco. They are not your people. They are thieves and murderers who have been killing us ever since they arrived in this system.”

“And how do we know what happened back then, huh?”

Drakson crossed his arms, feeling his own rage swelling up. How he hated the stupid Vanguard Commander…

“How do we know that they attacked first? They came here to seek salvation, for the Traveler. How do we know that it wasn’t humanity, who in their blasted paranoia after the Collapse, simply saw an alien race and assumed the worst? How do we know it wasn’t us who fired the first shot at the Eliksni?”

Before the argument could go any further, a calm voice from the doorway caught their attention. Only one word was uttered, but it was all it took.

“Enough.”

The six Guardians turned to look at the seventh figure, who was now walking in. Dressed in a white robe and black hood, with a white mask that any citizen or Guardian would recognize. Ikora bowed her head somewhat as he entered.

“Speaker.”

He closed the door behind him and came over to the head of the table, looking at them.

“Zavala. All Guardians were chosen to fight for the Light, for the Traveler. There are many paths that lead to the same goal.”

The Commander stood up straight again, looking at the Speaker.

“We are all that remains of the Light. Humanity. If we die out, the Light goes with us. We must protect our people.”

The Speaker said nothing in response, but instead walked past the three Champions to the window on the other end of the room, overlooking the land beyond the wall. Lush, green forests and crystal lakes covered the ground around the grey and snow-capped mountains.

“For ages, we have kept safe within our walls. Maybe it is time that changed. Maybe it is time we venture back outside and reclaim what we have lost.”

He turned around to look back at them.

“Luna have chosen these three for a reason. I say we let them fight this battle in their way.”

The Vanguard looked at each other, while Selene shook her head.

“Wait, you know about Luna? How?”

“Young Warlock, I know about all three of the Traveler’s children.”

The Speaker came back to the table, arms still folded behind his back.

“I speak for the Traveler. While it does not speak to me… its children have, lately. You three are not the first to be chosen.”

“We’re… not?”

Dragon asked in disbelief, looking over at Drakson. He shrugged; this was news to him too.

“No, you are not. Do not misunderstand, you are the first Champions of Luna. But others have been chosen before, by another.”

“Ember.”

The Vanguard looked at Drakson in confusion, while the Speaker nodded.

“Yes. We all know her first champion. Solra, the Daybreaker. Rumored to be the first Sunbreaker to exist. In these last years, I believe I have found the other two as well. The Warlock was exiled long ago by my predecessor… for reasons much like yours, Draco. He sought to win our fights in other ways, instead of waiting behind the walls. The last Speaker branded him a heretic, and he left willingly, intent on finding the victory he knew was out there. His name… was Osiris.”

The room was silent for a good minute. After the shock of this revelation faded, Ikora spoke up.

“Osiris was… chosen too? By this ‘Ember’?”

“Yes. Your mentor and predecessor was exceptionally skilled in the mastery of Solar Light. I believe that is why. As for the last… it may be a painful topic to discuss, Draco.”

The Kell looked back at the white mask, then nodded.

“It’s alright. No matter what it is, I can deal with it. I’m sure.”

“Very well. This is not something I have been able to confirm, but I strongly believe it to be correct. The reports from the Battle of Twilight Gap made me certain it was her. Sadly her Golden Gun, once a shining beacon of hope, has burned out long ago.”

The Speaker looked at Drakson, who blinked a few times as he tried to figure out who he could be talking about. Twilight Gap, Gunslinger, dead… her…   
The answer hit him like a skiff to the face and he almost fell over, Dragon quickly grabbing his shoulder to keep him up.

“Woah woah, easy! You okay?”

“Ana… right?”

The Speaker nodded as Drakson leaned against Dragon, feeling like all of this was… unreal. Not happening.

“Yes. I know the two of you were close.”

“It’s alright… just came as quite a shock. Thanks, Dragon.”

He nodded to the Titan as he regained his sense of balance. The Speaker walked towards the door, passing the three Vanguard mentors this time, before halting and looking back.

“We all fight on the same side, no matter how we choose.”

With this final statement he opened the door and walked out. Selene looked at her two fellow champions, then nodded thoughtfully.

“We are more than Guardians now. We are warriors. The Warriors… of Luna.”

Dragon nodded with a small smile before saluting the Vanguard and leaving the room, Selene following right after. Drakson nodded to Cayde, who returned the gesture. As he turned to leave, Zavala spoke up once more.

“Ana fought and died to protect her people. What will you do?”

The Kell knew what Zavala was trying, but it wouldn’t work. Instead, he turned around and simply said;

“I will fight to the end for my people as well.”

As he left, he could feel the Commander’s angry stare in his neck. The true meaning was not lost on the Titan.

_My House, my people... will always come first._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know these last few chapters may feel a little slow, but they're all crucial for future events to take place :3


	23. The Vestian Outpost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The House of Wolves have rebelled against the Awoken of the Reef. Queen Mara Sov have called upon the aid of Guardians to eliminate the traitors, and has decided to entrust the most important hunt to Drakson, his House and a familiar Titan. Joining them on the hunt for Skolas is an unexpected ally...

Drakson felt uneasy flying through the asteroids and ancient debris of the Reef. Even though he had made dealings with the Awoken before, and his friend Petra Venj had invited him and Karaks on behalf of Queen Mara Sov to discuss a “matter of great urgency and importance”, he still felt like he was trespassing. Karaks seemed to notice as she was standing behind the pilot seat, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Draco. I’m sure the Awoken invited us for a good reason.”

He looked back at her. Her eyes were glowing warmly, and he nodded before resuming his attention to the large asteroid coming into view between the drifting wrecks. Vesta 4, the heart of the Awoken territory. He opened a comm line, setting it to a frequency that no one on either side of the belt ever used.

“Vestian Outpost, this is Drakson and Karaks. We are answering Queen Sov’s summons. Standing by for permission to dock.”

The line remained silent for a few seconds, before a female voice responded.

“Drakson and Karaks, this is Corsair Petra Venj. Proceed at heading 224. I’m assuming you’re flying a skiff, so please set to hover above the landing bay.”

“Affirmative, Petra. See you soon.”

Karaks nodded with a soft laugh and patted his shoulder.

“See? I told you so.”

He simply shook his head in response, smiling somewhat.

“Yeah, yeah. Just don’t let it go to your head, my love.”

 

The skiff came into the hold of the severed, repurposed ketch that made up the Vestian Outpost. The usually busy place was almost completely devoid of activity, only three figures were present, standing over by the large doorway leading deeper into the outpost. As the craft came to a halt about a meter above the platform, Drakson set it to hover in position and got out of the seat, moving to the troop compartment in the back. He nodded to Karaks, and the two dropped down the opened holes onto the metal below, before walking over to the waiting individuals. One was clearly an Awoken, twirling a knife with experienced confidence; the next was an Eliksni, but clad in different apparel than any fighter, and was wielding a ceremonial staff. As for the last…

“Dragon-19, didn’t know you’d be joining us today.”

Drakson walked over and shook her hand with a smile. The Exo Titan chuckled and returned his smile.

“Well, I happen to owe the Queen a pretty big favor. So when she called, I answered.”

The Awoken, Petra Venj, stepped forward and looked at them.

“You two know each other? Well, that makes the whole ‘bringing an Eliksni Baroness’ a bit easier to explain, I take it.”  
Dragon crossed her arms and nodded.

“Yeah, we go back about a month. Though I’m not allowed to say how, why or where.”

Drakson walked over to the waiting Eliksni, bowing his head respectfully to the white-and-green clad Vandal.

/Variks, good to see you again./

The Vandal laughed hoarsely, nodding as his eyes glowed brightly.

“It is good to see you, yes, old friend. But perhaps we should use a language spoken by all here, Kell of Night?”  
“Very well.”

Drakson agreed with a smile as Karaks stepped forward, nodding as well. Petra looked them all over, then turned towards the door.

“Right, let’s get started then.”

 

Petra led them down a series of hallways and corridors, all elegantly designed. So unlike the landing area, which was haphazardly welded together. After several minutes of walking she guided them into a dimly lit room, where a low table along with six chairs was placed. A meeting room.

“Please, take a seat.”  
Petra gestured to the chairs, and Karaks sat down in one of them as Dragon took the one beside her. Drakson sat down on on Karaks’ other side, and she slipped her hand into his. Petra and Variks took their seats, leaving an empty one between them. Drakson looked at it, then at Petra.  
“Just kept an extra seat, or are we having another guest?”

In response, another figure stepped out from the dark shadows along the walls, four eyes glowing blue opening to look at them. Another Eliksni. It walked over to the chair and sat down, its blue, ornamented armor clearly showing in the small light. A cloak of dark fur hung from its shoulders. A high-ranking warrior of the House of Wolves.  
“This… is Droksas. She is an important part of this matter.”

Variks stated, looking at the three Lightbearers. Drakson nodded in response, though he wasn’t quite sure how a Wolf Baroness was important to the matter at hand. Petra cleared her throat.

“Yes, we’ll cut to the chase. The House of Wolves has rebelled against the Awoken, broken most of their members out of the Prison of Elders, and scattered among the core planets. We need the help of Guardians to track them down and eliminate them, but the reason we called you, is to hunt a very specific member… Droksas?”

The Wolf Baroness nodded and looked directly at Drakson.

“Skolas, the current Wolf Kell, is attempting to rally both his scattered forces and the other Houses in the system. If he does so, the result will be devastating to all parties involved. He must be tracked down and captured.”

“Okay, hold on a sec.”

Drakson held up a hand and leaned forward.  
“You want us to hunt the Wolf Kell, alright. No problem. But you… you are a Wolf too, and correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t loyalty extremely important to your House?”

Droksas looked at Variks, who closed his eyes and nodded slowly with a sigh.  
“In the Reef Wars, I warned the Queen of Skolas’ plan. But I did not do so alone. Droksas helped me, but the rest of the Wolves do not know that. To them, she has done nothing to earn their distrust.”

“Until now.”

Droksas continued.

“When they rebelled, I stayed behind. After all, the Awoken have always treated us fairly. Maybe not as equals, but not as slaves. They were our rulers, and they were righteous and kind. Especially Kell Sov. So I chose to defy them openly, and they now know of my betrayal. So, in addition to helping you, I… I was hoping to join your House.”

She looked at Drakson and Karaks, who took a moment to glance at each other in surprise, before the Night Baroness looked at Droksas.

“But why? From what you’ve told us, you seem to enjoy life here in the Reef.”

“The situation has gotten somewhat… sensitive. The Awoken don’t really trust anyone associated with the Wolves. After all, they don’t know the truth about Droksas. Variks they know they can trust, to an extent.”

Petra replied. Karaks nodded understandingly, leaning over to whisper to her mate.

“She’s young. She needs a caring family. We could provide that for her.”

“Agreed… but who would look after her, teach her? Our House may accept her as a member, but I don’t know how many would be willing to raise her.”

Karaks looked away slightly, though her eyes glowed with compassion.

“I was thinking… we could do it? You know, take her in as a daughter?”

Drakson stared at her in surprise, then smiled warmly and nodded.

_The one thing I cannot give her… or her me. A child._

“Alright, it’s a deal.”

“One second.”

Dragon had finally spoken up, and was leaning forward, eyes narrowed.

“Why are you so eager to help us hunt Skolas? Wouldn’t you be safer staying out of this?”

Droksas looked down at the table.

“I have a score to settle with him. You see, he’s the one who raised me to hate all that are not Wolves… he’s the one who taught me to be a warrior. After all… I’m his daughter.”


	24. The Hunt Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The newly formed Wolf Hunt Team; Drakson, Karaks, Droksas and Dragon-19; head to the Syriks-fel to gear up for the missions ahead, and also become better aquainted with each other.

Once the meeting was finished, Drakson and Karaks led Droksas to their skiff while Dragon-19 headed for her own jumpship. They had decided that the Syriks-fel, currently waiting on the very outskirts of the Reef, would serve as their base of operations during their hunt for Skolas and the House of Wolves. After sending the coordinates to Dragon, Karaks took the skiff out of the bay with experienced ease and set course for the ketch. A few seconds later, the Phaeton-class belonging to Dragon came up beside them, sticking close until they were clear of the asteroids and ancient debris. Both crafts flew into the hangar of the Nightship, and the four stepped out once the Phaeton had been assigned a landing space; after all, the docking bays had been designed for skiffs, not Guardian jumpships. Drakson took the lead, heading towards one of the door.

“Armory’s this way. Our first mission is to investigate Wolf activity in Winter territory. Specifically, the Ishtar Sink. Time to gear up.”

 

The armory was large, yet simple; a big room with racks of weapons, ammo and armor along the walls, as well as on several semi-dividing walls in the middle of the room. Karaks headed over to the far wall, which was lined with lockers instead of weapon racks; she opened the one belonging to her, taking out two shock blades and inspecting them, before holstering them on her back, underneath her cloak. Drakson opened the one next to her, taking out Dreg’s Promise. Dragon was looking around the room, unsure where to go as Angel flitted over.

<Just use the space as needed. We know it’s not exactly a Guardian armory.>

The Titan chuckled softly and nodded, taking off her helmet. She looked to Fenrir as he blinked in.

“Get ready to transmat in my Spearhead 0 armor, will you? Along with the Häkke weaponry. Switching it with this set.”

<Got it. May take a minute or two, given the distance.>

She nodded and began removing her Spektar armor, placing it in a small pile on the floor. It disappeared in a flash of blue, a different set of armor along with three weapons in its place. The only thing remaining the same was her basic Titan mark, which she had placed separate; just a belt with utility pouches.

“Time to travel light...”

She mumbled to herself as she began placing the new armor over her simple undergarments; a form-fitting, sleeveless suit made from sapphire wire and fabric.

 

Droksas was standing on her own, looking around at the suits of jet black armor, accented by red. She reached out to place a hand on the shoulderpad of one, before looking at her own blue armor. As she withdrew her arm, Karaks came over, a pair of shock pistols on her hips.

/You’ll have a set like that once this is over./

She said reassuringly, placing a hand on the Wolf’s shoulder. She turned her head to meet Karaks’ purple eyes, before looking away again.

/I… thank you. But why? Why did you accept me so readily?/

Karaks glanced back at Drakson, who was busy with his shrapnel launcher.

/Because you need a family. And… me and my mate are willing to take you in. As more than a House member. As a daughter./

Droksas reared her head backwards in surprise.

/You… really want…/

She shook her head, not sure what to make of it.

/Variks told me that you and that Risen were mates, but… I never thought you wanted…/

/It’s okay./

Karaks cut in, grabbing her other shoulder gently.

/I know I just dropped a lot at you. Just think it over, we don’t need an answer now./

Droksas fell quiet for a while before looking up at Karaks once more, four blue eyes looking into four purple.

/Okay. But… thanks. For wanting me./

Karaks nodded and removed her hands, taking a step back.

/Of course. Let’s focus on the mission, though. Choose some weapons, then come over when you’re ready./

Droksas nodded in response and turned to the weapon rack beside the armor she had been looking at as Karaks walked back to Drakson. The Wolf picked up and holstered a shock dagger on her belt, two shock blades on her lower back beneath the fur cloak, and a shock rifle.

 

Dragon-19 was clad in a lightweight, metal-grey armor. Her helmet had a silver visor, unlike most Titan helmets, and on her back was a light backpack made from spinmetal and plasteel. She looked almost like a cross between a Titan and a Hunter, in Drakson’s opinion. He came over as she holstered her shotgun, a classic Häkke Strongbow model, and inspected her Arminius-D auto rifle. Häkke had always valued function over form, and she found their simplistic yet deadly designs much to her liking.

“Something on your mind, Draco?”

She asked as the Kell stopped beside her, looking up at him as she slung the rifle over her shoulder, checking the clip of her final weapon; a Jabberhäkke sidearm, complete with a flashlight.

“Yeah, I was curious. How did you end up owing Queen Sov a favor?”

The Titan placed the sidearm on her hip, maglocks activating to keep it in place.

“Oh, that. Well, she helped me get into the Black Garden. Her brother too, technically, but… he’s kind of an...”

“Asshole? Yeah, he is”

Drakson filled in, crossing his arms. Dragon chuckled in response.

“I was gonna be nice and say ‘idiot’, but yeah. That works too.”

“Didn’t realize they helped you get in to slay the Black Heart. Whole tower was buzzing with the news of your triumph. Did they tell you about the Heart too?”

Dragon shook her head, looking somewhat away, focusing on nothing in particular.

“No… it was someone else. An Exo, but not a Guardian. Met her on Venus.”

_The fabled Exo Stranger, huh?_

Drakson thought to himself as he nodded. He had ran into her once before, shortly after the Twilight Gap. He had traveled to Venus to ‘let out some steam’ by taking on several bounties for House of Winter members when they met. She had simply nodded to him before disappearing, leaving him very confused.

“Interesting. Well, guess you’re about to get even with the Queen.”

He patted her shoulder before walking over to Karaks, who had returned to the lockers. She looked at him as he stopped by her side, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“I know we’ve been through worse before, but… please stay safe. Death is just a slight delay to me, but you...”

“I know, my love.”

She placed a hand on his as her eyes glowed.

“I’ll let you and the Titan be the front line, keep your backs safe. I’ll let you know if I’m in trouble.”

Drakson nodded slightly before she wrapped all four arms around him, hugging him closely. After a second he hugged her back, closing his eyes with a soft sigh and whispering to her.

“What would I do without you...”

“Does that matter? You aren’t without me, that’s what’s important.”

She pulled back with a giggle, and reached up to caress his chin.

“We’ll get through this, my love. All of us, I promise.”

They both leaned towards each other, foreheads touching as they closed their eyes; their own sign of affection for one another. As they pulled away, Droksas came over to them slowly, eyes slightly downcast.

“I’m ready… my Kell.”

Dragon walked over just after, nodding to them.

“Locked and loaded.”

Drakson smiled and put on his helmet, the six red lights on his visor flickering to life and looking very much like eyes.

“Alright then… let the hunt begin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the final chapter before getting into the proper Wolf Hunt (my favorite part of Year 1); the next chapters are going to be longer, but hopefully I'll be able to keep 'em coming once a sunday ;)


	25. A Kell Rising

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hunt for Skolas begins in the Ishtar Sink, among Drakson's old enemies. But catching the Wolf Kell proves to be difficult.

“Petra, this is Field Team. Awaiting mission brief.”

Drakson had taken charge of the team which was now descending towards Venus in a skiff, to no argument from Dragon-19. If anything, she had seemed relieved that she wasn’t the leader this time.

“Field Team, Petra here. Can’t wait to work with you! Been a long time since I was in the field, even if it’s just on the comms.”

Drakson chuckled softly at her poorly hid joy and enthusiasm. For as long as he had known her, he had found her to be very much like Cayde; eager to be out with the action, rather than overseeing operations from a safe post.

“Right, in any case, Skolas is seeking control of the other Houses. We’ve tracked his cryo-signature to the Ishtar Sink, meaning he’s going after Winter. He will try to kill their leaders and take command of their troops. You will stop him cold.”

“Really, Petra? ‘Stop him cold’? Didn’t know puns were your forte.”

The Night Kell shook his head as the skiff burrowed through the atmosphere, trying to block out the bad memories that still haunted him. Karaks was an expert pilot, but the shaking of the craft still brought them back. Behind him in the small troop compartment, Dragon-19 and Droksas were waiting patiently, weapons at the ready. The Wolf was busy checking her shock rifle, while Dragon was observing her.

“So… you fought in the Reef Wars?”

Droksas raised her head and looked at the Titan, before resuming her attention to the weapon with a sigh.

“Yes… until after Pallas-siege. I aided Variks send a message to the Reef, leading to my father’s capture. After that, I was one of the first to swear allegiance to Kell Mara. And one of very few to keep it when my father returned.”

Dragon said nothing more. Soon the lights dimmed and turned red, prompting them to stand up and prepare to disembark. Drakson and Karaks came walking into the back, the skiff holding position.

“Alright, we’re here. Everyone out, we got a Kell to capture.”

 

The team dropped down from the skiff, landing in a small, remote part of the Ash Coves. In front of them were four vehicles painted Wolf blue, resembling large, bulkier pikes.

“Okay, your Ghost is feeding me telemetry. I see what it… it? What it sees?”

<She.>

Angel corrected Petra, before the Corsair continued.

“Sorry. I see what she sees. Why not try out those-”

“Heavy pikes?”

Drakson finished the sentence for her with a soft chuckle.

“That’s the plan.”

He hopped on the closest one, bringing it to life. It was a little more sluggish than the regular pikes he preferred, but their upgraded weaponry made up for it. Karaks mounted the one beside him, Droksas quickly powering up another. Dragon climbed on the last, looking unsure.

“Is this a bad time to say that I have no idea how to operate one of these?”

Drakson looked over at her, then nodded to Karaks.

“You and Droksas go ahead. We’ll be right behind you.”

She nodded back to him and waved to Droksas, before the two set off forward and left the Hunter to show Dragon how the pike works.

 

The two Guardians came speeding up the small slope a minute later, past the remains of Dregs and Vandals wearing the signature Wolf blue armor.

“Seems your mate and the Wolf did short work of these.”

Dragon noted as they kept on going, quickly catching up to the two others. They had stopped just where the small crevasse made a turn, and Karaks signaled for them to halt as well. Drakson pulled up beside her, and she gestured towards the bend.

“There’s a Walker up ahead. Might be best if you and the Titan take the lead.”

“Good thinking. Dragon, with me!”

Drakson nodded to his mate and headed around the bend, Titan in tow as the two Eliksni hung back. It didn’t take long for the narrow cut in the mountains opened up to a small plain of sorts, pools of bubbling water scattered around the rocky terrain. And in the middle was a Walker tank, painted a clear blue. Its main cannon swiveled to aim towards them, a red laser indicating it was about to fire. Petra had clearly spotted it too.

“The Wolves have control of the House of Winter’s artillery? Take it out before they dig in!”

“Break!”

The two heavy pikes swerved away as the projectile hurtled through the air towards where they had been, exploding in a massive fireball. Drakson frowned and began circling it with his pike sideways, firing at the legs. A Winter Walker had taken Ana from him, he wasn’t gonna let the Wolves take his mate too. In the corner of his eye he saw Dragon using her own tactic against the metal behemoth, heading straight towards it while firing the pike cannons before quickly turning to take cover as it retaliated. As the two Guardians made the Walker slowly turn around, Karaks and Droksas came out of the tunnels as well, hitting its rear legs. Under the combined fire the armor plating on one of its legs blew off and it collapsed, its head pushing out to expose the core as it began self-repair protocols. No words had to be spoken; all four knew how to take down Walkers. The arc rounds from the four heavy pikes tore through the glowing machinery, causing a critical system failure; the whole Walker’s head jolted upwards with a massive electric discharge, barely hanging on as it crashed down again, the main cannon exploding as the weapon systems failed. It was now just another piece of scrap metal, albeit a very large one. Petra seemed very happy about the result, judging from her voice over the comms.

“Last week I was delivering court messages, today we’re delivering explosions! I love fieldwork! Get after them, team.”

Drakson shook his head with a chuckle as the four-man team regrouped and kept on going, disposing any Wolves they encountered. However, they soon reached a dead end for their vehicles; a raised metal platform was leading towards the next area, and it was too high for the pikes.

“Alright, everyone off. We’re proceeding on foot.”

They all hopped off and made their way up to the elevated position; Dragon jumped and used her Lift to gently glide up, while Drakson utilized the classic Hunter double jump to get up to it. He waited for Karaks as she deftly climbed up, accepting his hand at the top. Droksas was right behind her, getting onto the platform without any help. They nodded to each other before moving on down the larger tunnel, and Petra chose this moment for some reason to give some more information.

“The House of Winter, and Devils and Kings… they hate Skolas. They think he betrayed them at the Twilight Gap.”

Before she could elaborate however, Angel cut in while blinking into existence, scanning the very air in front of them as they walked.

<Detecting traces of some kind of stasis field...>

“Skolas was in a cryopod for years, it might be him.”

They reached a small doorway guarded by two Vandals who fell lifeless to the ground before they could react. Drakson let Angel get to work on opening the door, which he knew led to the area where Draksis’ ketch was still docked. It had been roughly half a year since he, Sokrates-115 and Leda had been through here. Dragon readied her rifle as Droksas did the same, the two weapons trained at the door. Karaks brandished her blades and nodded to her mate, who in turn nodded to Angel.

“Alright, open it.”

 

As the door opened and the team stepped through, they immediately spotted the Wolf Kell, standing on a raised rock and addressing a gathering of Winter forces in front of him.

“They haven’t noticed us… and they aren’t fighting either.”

Karaks whispered softly. A few seconds later Skolas turned his head slightly towards them, before fully turning to face them with a roar. Droksas aimed her shock rifle at him, growling back. The imposing Kell jumped behind the rock while chittering angrily towards them, before teleporting away further up. The Winter forces he had been talking to were now attacking, arc bolts impacting the rock wall behind them, the ground and the various boulders as the four dove for cover.

“So, anyone care to translate what he just said?”

Dragon asked as she opened fire with her auto rifle, mowing down a group of dregs. Drakson gunned down an ambitious Vandal with his shrapnel launcher before ducking behind the boulder again as a shock grenade flew past, accompanied by several arc rounds.

“Roughly, he said ‘The Wolves stand strong. Cower before the Kell of Kells.’ And no, I have no clue what that means.”

“But I know who might. Variks, are you here?”

The Judgment scribe’s voice joined Petra on the comms, chittering softly.

“Yes, yes, I am here. It is an old prophecy, legend, from House of Rain, before Whirlwind. Maybe he sees himself as a prophet. Or maybe he has gone mad.”

Droksas growled at the Winter members, firing whenever possible from her position with Karaks. The Baroness had resorted to her two shock pistols, using her blades to cut down those that came too close. After about a minute, all that was left of the Winter Dregs and Vandals were corpses. Dragon stepped out from cover, reloading her rifle.

“That was easy.”

“Maybe, but it gave Skolas more time to escape. We need to hurry.”

Drakson took the lead up the slope towards the Winter’s Lair, when suddenly something popped up from the ground in front of him, beeping.

“What the-”

Something grabbed his cloak and yanked him backwards as the strange, small orb detonated and created a large field of slow-moving arc energy. Droksas hauled him to his feet and dusted down the cloak.

“Web mines. Wolf specialty. Their energy slows everything inside down.”

He nodded to her, then looked back at the field, which was slowly disappearing.

“Not much use without something to attack, though.”

As if on queue, half a dozen Shanks came around the corner towards them, though they were different from the usual ones; attached to them were glowing, orange orbs that beeped rapidly. Explosives. He barely had time to shield himself with his arms before the front one exploded, quickly followed by the rest. And yet, he didn’t feel any heat or kinetic force hit him. He slowly opened his eyes and saw a barrier in front of him, glowing a deep purple. Void.

_But how…_

He looked behind him, where both Droksas and Dragon were looking at Karaks in surprise; the Baroness had an arm outstretched towards him, a few wisps of void energy swirling around her hand. Her eyes seemed to have flared up as well, small strands of energy emanating like flowing ribbons.

“Karaks… did you just...”

“I… I think so?”

She slowly lowered her arm and the barrier disappeared into thin air as she looked at her hands. Her eyes returned to their regular glow too, and she looked up to meet Drakson’s gaze. Droksas seemed very confused, while Dragon gave her pat on the shoulder and moved ahead to make sure no more suicidal Shanks were coming.

“I don’t know how… I saw the Shanks, and I reached for you, and then… my arm felt like it was burning as I raised it...”

Drakson stepped over and hugged her close, stopping her mumbling as he touched foreheads with her.

“Let’s figure that out later, okay? We need to capture Skolas.”

“Yeah, right… okay.”

Her eyes glowed softly as she pressed her forehead back against his, before breaking up the hug. She walked over to the waiting Titan as Droksas watched them with a curious look.

“You two really love each other, huh?”

She said teasingly and passed him. He smiled softly inside his helmet and followed her to Dragon, who was peering around the rock.

“Two Captains, and a few Shanks with what looks like wire rifles on their tops. Path’s blocked by an energy barrier.”

She whispered to them, readying a grenade. As she threw it, the Hunter rolled out beside her, opening fire with Dreg’s Promise; the arc rounds shredded the Captains shields, and the suppressor grenade’s void explosion sent them flying into the rock wall. The modified Shanks turned to open fire, but the charge time on the wire rifles meant that Droksas and Karaks had gotten close and sliced them apart with their blades before they could fire a single bolt. In response to their destruction, the barrier dropped and… something... charged forward at them. It was near invisible, just a shimmer, and lunged straight towards Karaks. As she tried to raise her blades to meet the new threat, a second set intercepted it instead; the cloaking module failed and revealed another Captain, who was now struggling against Droksas’ blades. She growled and pushed it back, driving them through it as it staggered. She pulled them out in one fluid motion and the Captain slumped to the ground, ether leaking out in wisps of white smoke. Karaks looked over at the Wolf Baroness.

/You saved my life… how did you react so fast?/

/I know their tactics. I was trained by them, after all./

Drakson walked over to the dead Captain and inspected its armor.

“This must be the Silent Fang I’ve heard so much about...”

Droksas nodded with a soft chitter, holstering her blades.

“Yes. Formidable, but also predictable.”

“Cryo-trace is getting stronger, Field Team. You’re closing in.”

Dragon advanced to the cave opening and looked inside, turning to look at the rest and gave them a nod. Without any words, Drakson took point as they moved through the tiny natural corridor, Karaks and Droksas following with Dragon taking the rear. Once they reached the point where it opened up into a large chamber, Skolas was standing in front of them. He roared upon spotting the team and backstepped, teleporting once more; this time into the skiff right behind him. Droksas charged forward and fired on it until it shot skywards, disappearing from view. Drakson walked forward to her, standing on the edge of the small platform and looked down; the grotto below was still quite active, Wolves hurrying behind cover to prepare for the team. Petra’s voice crackled over the comms.

“And he’s gone… that skiff has already broken orbit. No problem team, there are still plenty of Wolves in there. Best clear them out.”

Drakson placed a hand on the disappointed Baroness’ shoulder, and gave her a nod as she turned her head to look at him.

“Don’t worry, we’ll get him next time. One less place for him to hide.”

She nodded slowly and came back to the rest of the team as they prepared to head to the lower section, reloading her shock rifle with a new arc cell.

_You cannot run forever, father. I will find you, and I will bring your corpse back to the Queen._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope to have the next chapter up on schedule, but it may not happen as there's a lot of irl stuff going on atm.


	26. The Silent Fang

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the hunt on Venus proves fruitless and the trail goes cold, the Wolves set their sights to the Devils on Earth. The team rushes to prevent another House to bow to Skolas in response.

Drakson tossed away the shock rifle he had picked up and looked around at the carnage; about two dozen Wolves, not including Shank wrecks, were littering the lower section of the Winter’s Lair. Karaks came over to him, sheathing her blades as she walked.

“That takes care of that. You okay, love?”

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you?”

He replied with a soft chuckle and placed an arm around her. Droksas came over as well, holding a large scorch cannon she had taken from a Captain. It was among the Eliksni’s most powerful weapons, and not very common either. At least, not among the Houses of the core worlds. She tilted her head as Petra’s voice crackled over the comms for the first time since the short battle.

“That’s strange… for a moment I detected Vex energy all around the site...”

“Vex?”

Droksas tilted her head, apparently not knowing about the machines. Dragon joined them as well, reloading her various weapons.

“Teleporting machines. Don’t worry, hopefully they’re not interested in us.”

“Scanner reads all clear. No Vex, no Winter, nothing. Did the rest just disappear?”

Karaks shook her head in confusion, having been tracking Winter movement until the energy spike. Drakson shrugged with a sigh.

“Maybe. In any case, we need to find Skolas’ trail again. He could be anywhere in the sys-”

“My Kell, I have something you need to hear.”

Soralkis’ voice suddenly came over the line, snapping the group to attention.

“Go ahead, Soralkis. We’re listening.”

“My Night Talon scouts have reported Wolf movement in what you call the ‘Cosmodrome’. Apparently, the Silent Fang is moving into Devil territory.”

Droksas looked up at the mention of the Wolves’ assassin group, and growled softly to herself. Dragon looked up at the sky, which was barely visible through the high rock walls, crossing her arms.

“Well, that gives us something to go on. But why have them attack the Devils?”

“To kill whatever leadership they have left. Likely to put them in the same position as Winter; bowing to Skolas.”

Drakson said, holding his hand out. Angel blinked into existence in response, looking at him.

<Already on it, partner. Transmat locked and primed.>

 

Less than an hour later the Syriks-fel was holding position just outside Earth’s atmosphere, a lone skiff heading down. Just like last time, the team was prepping for another mission.

“Coming up on the Cosmodrome. Get ready to disembark fast, everything here is a hostile.”

Karaks pulled the Skiff to a halt over a small building in the Divide. Droksas and Dragon dropped out of the troop compartment first, quickly taking out the Devils who tried pointing their guns at them. Drakson and Karaks followed quickly, before the skiff was recalled to the ketch hangar.

“Soralkis, what does our scouts say?”

Drakson hopped down from the building, looking at the large wall in front of them. It surrounded the entirety of the Cosmodrome, an effort to protect the launch sites. Clearly, it didn’t stop anything during the Collapse.

“Wolves are gathering outside the wall.”

“Best find them first, Field Team. And watch your backs.”

“Will do, Petra.”

The Kell nodded and waved the others forward. The group moved into a small maintenance tunnel going into the wall, past several massive, yet broken fans, before coming out into a larger room. Of course, Devil forces were all over it and opened fire as soon as they spotted them, forcing them into cover behind crates and pillars. The Captain in charge of the squad stepped forward, clearly having recognized the intruders.

/Defectors, Night traitors! Murder them!/

He roared before firing at their position with a shrapnel launcher. Drakson sighed and summoned forth a ball of purple fire in his hand. He tossed it over the crate he was crouched behind, towards the Captain. As it impacted the ground, a wall of fire burst forth to the left and right, quickly burning away the Captain’s shield before he could get out of the way. He roared in anger and retreated to a stack of crates as the field team popped out of cover, opening fire on the Dregs and Vandals. Half the squad was dead in a matter of seconds.

/Rahndel, head to the Spire, warn Aksis of these intruders!/

A Vandal nodded to the Captain and began scurrying off, deeper into the wall.

“Not so fast!”

Dragon saw the fleeing Vandal and fired her auto rifle at him, several bullets catching him in the back. Rahndel fell forward, groaning in pain and barely moving.

“Good catch!”

Drakson complimented before vaulting over his cover, sending a blast of molten metal from his shrapnel launcher into the Captain’s chest; he fell over with a cry of pain, clutching his molten armor and singed chitin before another blast caught him in the face, silencing him for good. The remaining Dregs tried to flee, but were swiftly cut down by Droksas and Karaks.

“Easy peasy. Let’s keep moving.”

Dragon reloaded and headed towards the opening where Rahndel was lying motionless. The Titan gave the body a kick; no response.

“This one’s dead, alright.”

She nodded and looked at Drakson, who stepped past and around the corner. The rest quickly followed him.

 

At the other end of the short hallway was a large catwalk, spanning the two sides of the wall. A few Devils were on the other side, quickly moving away into another hallway. Without a word, Dragon took point across the large gap. She only took a few steps before a wire rifle bolt came flying from her right, piercing her helmet and her head. Death was instant. Her lifeless Exo body fell backwards, dropping her rifle onto the edge of the catwalk. Drakson and the two Eliksni backed up, away from the catwalk. Fenrir materialized and flitted over to them as well.

“Sniper, far right side. I can’t revive her out in the open.”

The Kell nodded and hurried forward, ducking as he heard the distant noise of a charging wire rifle; the round flew over his head, barely. He grabbed hold of Dragon-19’s body and pulled it back with him as another bolt flew through his chest, causing him to lose grip and fall on his back, clutching the hole in his armor and body. Karaks somehow managed to drag him all the way back into cover, where Angel got to work on fixing him up.

“Dunno how the Light fixes robotics, but I’m glad it does.”

Drakson gasped in relied as his internals were patched up, looking over at the dead Titan. Once again, he moved forward and grabbed her arm, dragging her into cover as well before the sniper could land another hit. Fenrir shone a beam of Light over her body, and she sat up straight, shaking her head.

“Okay, that’s just rude.”

She mumbled with a groan as she got to her feet, looking at the others.

“Anyone got a long range weapon? No? Alright then...”

She drew her small sidearm, twirling it around her finger before moving as far as she could, just out of sight for the sniper. She leaped out of cover, firing a single round from her Jabberhäkke; on the far side, the sniper Vandal’s wire rifle was knocked out of its grip. The Titan landed on her shoulder next to her dropped rifle, picked it up as she rolled sideways into a crouch, and opened fire as she held it in one hand. The sniper fell from its platform, either dead or dying. The fall would seal its fate anyway. Dragon stood back up and looked at the group, rifle barrel still smoking.

“So, shall we keep moving?”

She jogged to the other side as Droksas moved after her, chuckling softly. Karaks patted her mate on the back as she walked past.

“She’s a good shot.”

The Baroness said and followed, leaving the shocked Drakson.

“Yeah… wow. Haven’t seen precision like that since Ana...”

He shook his head and jogged after them, catching up on the other side.

 

The team stopped outside the hallway that the remaining Devils had fled through; it was crisscrossed with red lasers.

“Tripmines...”

Drakson said softly, all to familiar with the explosive force each small metal rod packed. Dragon readied a grenade as Petra cut in over the radio… again.

“Variks, why have the Devils deployed so many traps?”

“Devils can detect comm signals as well as we can. They… they know that the Wolves have their scent.”

Dragon tossed the grenade down the hallway, then turned away from the opening, her own body shielding Droksas. On the other side of the entrance, Drakson did the same with Karaks as the grenade and a whole load of mines went off, the explosion echoing throughout the wall and sending shockwaves through the area around the blast. Drakson slowly let go of Karaks and looked down the hallway; it was clear, though heavily charred. Dragon patted Droksas on the shoulder and stepped into the hallway.

“Wait here, I’m gonna go through and see if there are more. I’ll signal when it’s safe to proceed.”

Three minutes and just as many explosions later, Dragon’s voice came over the radio.

“Okay, come on through.”

The group reunited at the other end of the long and winding hallway, where the Titan was wiping soot of her visor.

“That last one went big...”

“Yeah, I was worried the whole wall was gonna come crashing down with that.”

“Walls are sturdy.”

Dragon replied to Drakson with a chuckle. The Hunter took point and led them through one more hallway, this one was luckily clear of traps. Daylight shone through glass panes on their left, but they were so dirty that they were impossible to see through.

“Petra, anything you can tell us about the Silent Fang?”

“In the war, I lead an attack on the Fang during the Cybele Uprising. We managed to kill or capture most of them. Only reason we won, I think.They probably helped Skolas escape, but rumor has it the Queen gave him to the Nine. How did the Fang get Skolas past... them?”

Drakson frowned beneath his helmet. The Nine… the most mysterious group in the solar system. All that was known about them was that there were nine of them, and that was about it. One of their agents, Xûr, came by the Tower now and then, offering powerful and unique gear for trade. Drakson had never trusted the hooded man, always staying clear whenever he was around. Petra’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

“We’re detecting… yes, Wolf comms just outside the wall. That must be the Fang.”

“Well, let’s not keep them waiting.”

 

A short staircase later and the team was outside the wall, looking at an ancient highway littered with rusted and ruined cars. Wolves were milling around, preparing for an assault it seemed. Their preparations were cut short by gunfire and arc rounds, most of the Dregs falling before the rest could react and seek cover. Over the radio, a voice Drakson had never heard cut into their line.

“Er sloat ne e zer de!”

A chill ran down Drakson’s spine as he heard the voice, though he wasn’t sure why. Droksas growled angrily behind her rock as arc rounds began flying overhead.

“Drevis...”

She mumbled. Variks came over the radio in an attempt to clarify who and what.

“That was commander of the Fang. She just called you a-”

“I know what she called us. Let’s give ‘em hell for it.”

Drakson drew his shock blade and charged forward as Dragon provided covering fire, Droksas joining in the barrage of rounds as Karaks engaged her cloaking module and joined her mate in the carnage. In a matter of seconds, the fight was over; dead Vandals and Captains, all part of the Silent Fang, laid dead.

“Elite assassins… no match for us.”

Drakson stated as he wiped his blade clean of ether stains. Karaks nodded, sheathing her own as the two others came over.

“Together, no opponent is too great.”

“Together.”

The Hunter agreed with a nod. Dragon began searching the bodies for anything useful, while Droksas put an arc round in the closest Captain.

“These… murderers helped train me. Make me who I was. Now, they saw the result of their teachings.”

She seemed oddly amused by the irony in her statement, and crouched to grab ammo of the dead body.

“Petra, Field Team here. The Fang is neutralized.”

“Nice work! You’ve denied Skolas the Devils, but… he’ll likely go after the Kings next.”

“Well, let’s beat him to it.”

 

Back inside the wall, Rahndel came to with a gasp, and got to his knees with a groan. His back ached from the bullets, but his thick chitin had saved his life.

/Night traitors… the Ghoul-Kell…/

He stood up, grabbing his shock rifle with a soft growl.

/Must tell Aksis… Our plans must move faster./


	27. The Ruling House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After dealing with the Silent Fang, the field team heads back inside the Cosmodrome to ensure the House of Kings' safety from the Wolves. Hopefully, without making them an enemy in the process.

“Petra, who’s our target?”

Drakson spoke into the radio as they made their way back through the wall. No more Devils had returned in their brief absence dealing with the Silent Fang, making their path back effortless and free of any problems.

“According to Prince Uldren’s Crows, Skolas sent the Silent Fang against the Devils while also sending an envoy to the Kings. He went after both Houses at once.”

“Hoping that we wouldn’t be able to stop them both.”

Dragon noted with a nod, crossing the catwalk she had died on earlier. Karaks followed after her, hand on her belt where the blades were sheathed.

“Divide and conquer.”

She muttered to herself. Droksas was just behind her, with the Hunter bringing up the rear.

“A clever tactic. Only problem is that we’re too fast for him.”

They walked into the hallway leading back to the large room, when Dragon suddenly stopped, looking around.

“What the… it’s gone!”

“What do you mean?”

Drakson came forward to her, unsure what she was referring to. The Titan pointed at the floor in front of him.

“Okay… what am I looking for?”

“A dead Vandal. Remember?”

He nodded, realizing what she meant now; the Vandal that had tried to flee earlier, the one she had gunned down, was now gone.

“Must have survived… somehow. Got it pretty good.”

Dragon groaned in frustration, kicking the ground before moving on. Droksas stayed quiet and followed, while Karaks walked up to her mate.

/The Devils will know of our incursion now… they won’t be happy about it./

/True, but they are our enemies, even if we saved them from the Wolves./

/I know, my love. I just hoped they wouldn’t find out we were here./

Drakson shrugged in response, placing an arm on her shoulder. She nodded in understanding, and walked beside him into the next room and out the old, massive ventilation tunnel to the Divide, where Droksas and Dragon were waiting.

“So, we’re heading to the Kings. What’s our route there?”

The Titan asked, rifle still in hand. Droksas seemed impatient as well, clearly wanting to keep her old House from gaining more power. Drakson thought for a few seconds, then looked up at them.

“Through the Rocketyard, leads straight to the King’s Watch. It’s likely heavily guarded, as always, but there’s no other way in.”

The Titan nodded, turning around as she summoned in her sparrow.

“Then let’s get going. We can ride two on each of our sparrows.”

“Ain’t exactly got a sparrow, but...”

Drakson chuckled and had Angel transmat down his scout pike. Dragon and Droksas both seemed surprised by the modified vehicle.

“Woah… you made that?”

Drakson got on, Karaks hopping on beside her and holding onto the pike with her lower arms, her upper ones wrapping around him.

“Our chief engineer Fokak, and his assistant Liliks. We wanted a fast, light and easy to transport variant of the pike, and this here was the result. Project Thunderbird.”

Drakson said proudly, bringing the engine to life. Dragon nodded and sat on her own sparrow, looking over at the Wolf Baroness. Droksas was hesitant, but came over and got on the back of the sparrow, holding onto just the vehicle.

“Alright, hang on back there.”

Dragon said and hit the accelerator, speeding ahead and around the corner of the large, ruined building on their right. Karaks leaned forward against Drakson, placing her head on his shoulder as her grip tightened. He smiled to himself and activated the booster, sending them after the first vehicle at high speed.

 

The trip to and through the old Rocketyard didn’t take long, dodging several squads of both Devils and Hive before they pulled up to the entrance of the old command center of the Cosmodrome.

“Heavily guarded, huh?”

Dragon stated as she stepped of, noting the lack of any guards. Droksas got off as well, and the sparrow dematerialized. Drakson frowned underneath his helmet as he stopped the engine and Karaks let go, climbing off.

“There’s always a group of either Kings or Devils on guard here...”

He muttered to himself, looking around. Karaks stepped inside the entrance hall, noticing something along the wall.

“We have a problem.”

“What?”

The Hunter walked inside and looked to the spot she was pointing at; it was almost like a small flagpole, with the banners of the Kings and Wolves both attached.

“They are negotiating...”

“Petra, you hear that?”

“I did, though Uldren has some new intel as well. Apparently, the Kell of Kings did not show up, but sent two Barons of his own. And their task seems to be getting rid of the Wolf envoy, under the guise of negotiating.”

Dragon came over, head tilted.

“So, we may not have to even bother with going in?”

“I think it’s best we make sure the envoy ends up dead, along with his escort.”

“Team, we have another problem!”

Droksas’ voice got their attention, and they hurried back out. She was by the outermost wall of the small plaza, rifle drawn and peeking out of cover.

“Wolves are coming.”

Dragon came over, drawing her Arminius-D as she crouched behind a crate, looking down towards the larger structure. True enough, several Wolf Dregs and Vandals were coming out of it.

“They’re arriving from the Refinery… likely inserted on the other side of the Grottos, pushed through Hive and Devil territory to not intrude directly on King ground.”

She thought out loud, pulling back the bolt on her auto rifle.

“I’ll take them out, push in and make sure their reinforcements don’t get through either. You three take care of the envoy.”

Before anyone could respond, she hopped out of cover and ran towards the approaching Wolves, a suppressor grenade catching them by surprise before a storm of bullets followed.

“This might be for the best.”

Drakson mumbled as he stepped back inside, waving for Karaks and Droksas to follow. The first came up to him, head tilted.

“What do you mean?”

“We don’t need to be on hostile terms with the House of Kings. Dragon would likely eliminate any and all threats in there, but I’m thinking we aid the King Barons with their task.”

Droksas nodded, eyes glowing with satisfaction at the plan. Karaks thought about it, then nodded as well.

/Alright. We go in, take out any and all Wolves, but leave the Kings standing./

As they began advancing in, up a set of concrete stairs, Angel popped in and looked at her Guardian.

<You’ve fought the Kings before… why is this different?>

“Because then it was as a Guardian. This time, I meet them as Kell.”

 

It didn’t take long for the three to run into hostiles; the first room was packed with Wolves. Drakson took cover behind a concrete pillar, looking back at the two Eliksni waiting at the doorway.

/Stay behind me. Lower section first, then push up the stairs to the next./

They nodded in confirmation, readying their weapons. Drakson checked the clip in his shrapnel launcher, then moved out of cover and blasted a Vandal. The rest of the force immediately turned towards him and scurried for cover, trying to fire on him. He rolled behind a King-colored supply crate, seeing arc rounds from Droksas’ shock rifle and Karaks’ shock pistols take down several Dregs and two more Vandals.

“Voidwall!”

He yelled and tossed the grenade over the crate, two lines of purple fire spreading upon impact and taking down three Dregs. Only two Dregs, a Vandal and Captain remained that he could see. They were all laying down suppressive fire, keeping him pinned. Then out of nowhere, a large barrier of Void energy appeared to block the incoming rounds. He looked over at Karaks in surprise; she was keeping both her upper arms raised with an aura of Void surrounding her hands, and her eyes seemed to be ablaze with energy. Droksas took the chance to push up as the Wolves ceased fire in confusion, until the Dregs were dropped by her rifle. She got to cover behind the pillar as Drakson pushed up, taking out the Vandal with another blast of molten metal. The Captain roared in anger and drew his blades, charging forward.

_So predictable._

Drakson smiled inside his helmet, running forward to meet his strike with his own shock blade. The edges clashed and the Kell planted his back foot, keeping him from staggering back. They both pulled back, and the Captain lunged forward again. His blades met Karaks’ this time; she had darted out of cover to block his attack, her lower arms firing her shock pistols to shred his personal shield. As he staggered back his head was swiftly removed as Drakson swung his blade again, ether spewing into the air.

“Nice work.”

He complimented his mate with a nod. Droksas came out of cover and joined them, looking towards the concrete stairs leading up.

“I saw more Wolves up top before the fighting began, a Captain and three Vandals. They’re likely waiting for us.”

The Hunter nodded and reloaded the shrapnel launcher after holstering the blade on his back, beneath the cloak. He moved over to the stairs first, and barely had time to see another of the modified Shanks with wire rifles before he felt something hit him, and everything went out.

 

He came to with a gasp, placing a hand to his head. Angel was floating over him, and he was in Karaks’ lap. Her purple eyes glowed brightly at him.

“Welcome back, my love.”

She stood up and helped him to his feet. Droksas came down the stairs, reloading her rifle.

“We’re all clear up here.”

<I didn’t want to risk it while the Wolves were still around.>

“So we quickly took them out before having her bring you back.”

Karaks finished, holding out the shrapnel launcher to him.

“A good call. Nice job, you two.”

He placed a hand on Karaks’ shoulder, and patted Droksas on the back before moving up the stairs. At the top of the landing was a doorway leading down a corridor.

“Stay close, move fast.”

He told them and walked down the corridor. Ahead of them, the heart of the control center came into view; a hologram of the Traveler dominated the room, King and Wolf forces surrounding it. In the center, backs turned to the group, stood three Barons; a Wolf in the middle, King on either side. They were chittering quietly.

“Okay, let’s try to only take down the Wolves. Droksas, you have a cloaking module?”

“Of course.”

She nodded, going invisible shortly after. Karaks activated her own as well.

“Good. Droksas, you and me take down the Wolves around the room. Karaks, you take out the envoy. Go.”

He activated a smoke bomb and turned invisible as well, rushing forward quietly with Droksas beside him. Karaks snuck up on the Wolf Baron, getting into position right behind him. She waited a few seconds for the two others to get ready, then thrust her blades forward, cutting through the shield, armor plating, chitin and soft flesh. He roared in pain and shock, before she withdrew her blades and he fell forward, dead. As she did so, Droksas and Drakson had been cutting down the Dregs and Vandals around in a matter of seconds, finishing by cutting open a Wolf Servitor together, then turned to the Kings; they were all ready to draw their weapons, though none had yet. Drakson stepped over to Karaks, looking at the two King Barons.

/I am Drakson, Kell of the House of Night. We do not seek conflict with the Kings. Our only prey here were the Wolves./

The gold-and-silver clad Eliksni looked at each other, surprised by his ability to speak their tongue. The Barons nodded in understanding; they didn’t seem fazed by the fact that a Guardian was a Kell.

_The Kings know a lot… me being a Kell must be old news to them._

/We are Paskin and Vekis of the Kings. On behalf of our Kell, we thank you for your aid in ridding our Watch of these pests./

One of them chittered to him. The other nodded and continued.

/But know that while we have no quarrel with your House, we are still at conflict with your City. We may not be enemies, Kell of Night, but neither are we friends./

Drakson nodded to them as Droksas came over as well, making the Barons seem a little uneasy due to her armor color, as well as the sigil on it.

/I understand. And worry not about Droksas here, she is of Wolves no longer./

He turned to her as the Kings relaxed again, and looked down at the Wolf Baron.

“You know who he is?”

Droksas nodded, crouching beside him.

“Yavek. A Captain that fought for Skolas since the Scatter, never captured after the Reef Wars. Promoted to Baron, it seems. Must be due to his undying loyalty to Skolas.”

Dragon nodded thoughtfully, then turned back to the Kings and bowed somewhat.

/We will be on our way./

He waved Karaks and Droksas with him, and they began heading out of the Kings’ Watch. Dragon’s voice suddenly came crackling over the comms.

“Team, this is Dragon. The Wolves have began falling back, and I’m returning to your position. Is the target down?”

“Affirmative, we’re on our way back. We’ll rendezvous outside then head back to the Syriks-fel. Drakson out.”

 

Behind them, the two Barons chittered with each other, watching them go.

/I had heard that one of the Given had become Kell, but I was not of the belief it was true. How could such a thing come to pass?/

/I do not know, Vekis. Perhaps the Great Machine chose him. Maybe…/

/Maybe what?/

Paskin shook his head.

/Yavek claimed Skolas was the Kell of Kells of ancient Rain prophecy. What if… that risen is? The Kell of Kells?/

Vekis looked away somewhat, thinking.

/In any case, we must inform Craask about this./

/Agreed./


	28. Wolves' Gambit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Wolves' trail leads to the Vault of Glass on Venus... much to Dragon-19's dislike.

Droksas stepped into the armory aboard the Syriks-fel, and the first thing she heard was Dragon-19’s voice.

“Exactly! Practicality should always be the top-priority of a gun, aesthetics shouldn’t be the main focus. That’s why I love the Häkke weaponry.”

The Titan turned her head from where she was sitting on a crate, nodding to Droksas. The Captain she was speaking to glanced over at her as well. He was tall and well-built, and one she hadn’t seen before.

“True. Eliksni weapons built for purpose, not look. Armor a bit of both.”

His English wasn’t the best, clearly. Droksas moved over to them, crossing her arms.

<I haven’t seen you here before.>

The Captain turned to her fully, looking her over quickly.

<I am Vorhass, armor- and weaponsmith, and the armory overseer. And you… finely-forged armor, likely custom-built for you. Ornamented and adorned, lovos-fur cloak. You are of Wolves, so you must be Droksas. I have heard a lot about you around the ship.>

Droksas blinked in surprise at how he had spotted the slight difference in her armor and the intricate details; noticing that required a highly trained eye, and often a natural affinity for such as well. She nodded to him.

<Yes, I am… I’m helping your Kell with hunting down->

<Your father, I heard. Going against him and your House to do the right thing? A tough decision, but one that takes a strong will.>

He nodded to her as Dragon got to her feet, cracking her metallic neck.

“Not to put a dampener on this, but me and Fenrir have no idea what you’re saying.”

Her Ghost flitted into view, having rested on her shoulder. His glowing blue eye scanned over the two Eliksni, and Droksas nodded.

“No worries. Just getting to know each other.”

“True. Not mean exclude you.”

Vorhass added and looked at the Titan and her Ghost. Their attention was quickly taken away by the ship’s intercom however, as Drakson’s voice was heard.

“Dragon, Droksas, head to the hangar. We got our next target.”

 

As the team gathered by their skiff, Drakson gave them a quick briefing.

“The Crows have reported that the Wolves are moving on several major Vex installations all over the Ishtar Sink. We’re heading to the Vault of Glass, to make sure they don’t get their hands on the technology inside.”

Dragon lowered her head, mumbling to herself.

“The Vault… great. Never thought I was going back there again...”

Karaks looked over at her, then back to her mate.

“What are we waiting for then? Let’s get underway.”

“Agreed. My father must have some sort of goal if he’s going after the Vex.”

Droksas nodded, heading aboard the skiff. Dragon walked in after her, and Drakson placed a hand on Karaks’ shoulder as she was about to follow.

“Karaks… this mission may be the most dangerous we’ve ever been on. If you don’t want to put your life on the line, I understand.”

The Baroness stared at him, then placed a hand on his as her eyes glowed brightly.

“Don’t worry, my love. I’ll stay safe, and behind you.”

He nodded to her and let her walk aboard, before doing the same. Karaks got into the pilot seat as the Hunter closed the entrance and made his way up to her, past Dragon and Droksas.

“Okay team, playing back the message from Petra. Ears open.”

“Field Team, this is Petra. Important message follows. The House of Wolves is on the march. They’re surrounding Vex strongholds across the Ishtar Sink… every soldier under his command is down there. Skolas has either gone completely insane, or he’s become a tactical genius. I love fieldwork, but the hunt must end. Now.”

“Either insane or a tactical genius, huh? I’m not thrilled about either.”

The Titan loaded her rifle and leaned back in the seat. Droksas nodded, sitting opposite her.

“Unfortunately, my father has never been much of a strategist. It’s unlikely he’s become one now.”

 

The skiff blasted through the Venusian atmosphere, towards the Ishtar Sink. Their landing site was going to be the Waking Ruins; it was the closest transmat zone to the Vault.

_Why is it always back here…_

Drakson thought to himself as the familiar, orange ocean came into view below them, the overgrown jungle coastline ahead. Karaks’ attention was pulled to a flashing light on her controls.

“Picking up a Wolf comm signal, but... Petra, you getting this?”

“I am. It looks like it’s interlaced with… Vex coding? Whatever he’s doing, I’ve never seen anything like this before. He’s mad!”

Skolas’ angry roars and chitters were heard on the signal, before it went offline again. Drakson understood every word he had said.

“I am Kell of Kells. All Houses shall burn. All will bow before Wolf Banner...”

He repeated, shaking his head. Karaks sped up further in response, the skiff blazing above the sulfuric ocean surface before coming to a halt underneath a cliff, where she set it to hover.

“We can reach the transmat zone from here, right?”

She asked and looked back at Drakson and Angel, who was hovering above his shoulder.

<Yeah, we’re within range.>

“Good. Take us up there.”

The Ghost bobbed her shell in a nod, looking back at the crew compartment.

<Attention all passengers, please keep all arms and legs withing the transmat at all times.>

Before Drakson had the chance to roll his eyes, she activated the transmat and sent the entire team to the small outpost that Guardians had set up outside the Vault. Well, outpost was too much credit; it was just a transmat beacon, a few supply crates, a terminal and a small flag. Droksas stumbled around slightly, not quite used to the transmat like Karaks and the Guardians. Angel flitted over to her charge.

<Thank you for flying with Angel Transmat Service, we hope you’ll consider us again for your return trip.>

“Okay, okay, I think that’s enough.”

Drakson chuckled and held out his hand, which she landed in before disappearing again. Dragon was too busy staring at the ancient structures ahead of them.

“The Spire… they’ve formed the Spire. The Vault is open!”

The team looked to where she was pointing; in front of the massive structure was a large tower made of the same stone and underlying metal and machinery, a beam of white energy being sent into the Vault entrance. Up by it, the distant sound of Eliksni shock rifles and shrapnel launchers could be heard, along with Vex slap rifles and torch hammers.

“The Wolves are still up there, and so are the Vex. Let’s clear them out.”

Drakson drew his shrapnel launcher and led the team up a slope on the left side, interlaced with stone stairs. Destroyed Vex and dead Wolves littered the way up to the large, circular door into the Vault of Glass. Like Dragon had feared, it was open. Several Vex Minotaurs with a cobalt blue chassis were trying to regain control of the area, their torch hammers bombarding the cover utilized by the Wolves with purple bolts of explosive energy. Before either side had a chance to attack the team, they quickly hurried past them and into the Vault, heading down another set of stairs. Dragon automatically took the lead.

“Stay behind me, and listen to me.”

 

The four slowly made their way down through natural caves and passages made from stone and machinery. Petra was oddly quiet too.

“Skolas going crazy is the good version here. I’ve seen reports from Prince Uldren’s Crows, reports about the technology of the Vault. Really, just… awful stuff.”

Dragon huffed dismissively as they came out into a massive, open cavern.

“’Seen reports’… you’ve never seen what I’ve seen. Me and my team fought through hell here, facing powers never seen outside this place.”

Drakson and Karaks looked at each other, but didn’t push the topic further. They began climbing down various stone platforms, some rooted to the cavern walls, some floating in empty air. Eventually, they reached a large platform with some kind of open structure ahead.

“The Templar’s Well...”

Drakson looked over at the muttering Titan, and nodded. Several Wolves were already down there, along with various pieces of Eliksni technology hooked. Droksas looked at the large gap and drop between them and the structure.

“So… how do we get down there?”

The two Guardians looked at each other and nodded in unison, the Hunter placing a hand on Karaks’ shoulder.

“Do you trust me?”

She turned to him and nodded without hesitation.

“Always.”

He scooped her up in his arms, and ran straight of the edge with a jump. Just before he hit the edge of the Well, he bent the air around him to jump again, landing softly and setting her down. Dragon came after, Droksas in her arms and clutching the Titan’s armor. She slowed down about three meters above the rock and landed gently, letting the former Wolf down. She quivered slightly, but quickly shook her head.

“Let’s… not do that again anytime soon.”

She whispered, to which Dragon patted her on the back and moved over to one of the massive pillars. The rest followed her, looking out from their cover at the Wolves milling about; there had to be at least a dozen Dregs, with about as many Vandals and a few Shanks.

“Okay, how are we gonna-”

Drakson was cut off as a sudden noise echoed across the cavern, sounding like a bell chime. He and the Eliksni looked around confused, while Dragon froze up before bolting out of cover, rifle firing at some kind of glowing, yellow cube that had appeared over one of the strange contraptions the Wolves had set up.

“Oracle!”

She shouted, emptying her entire clip into the strange projection; it shattered and disappeared, but the Wolves were onto them now. Arc rounds impacted the pillar from all sides, and the three replied in kind, moving over to new cover. Another bell chime sounded, and Dragon instantly rushed towards another off the odd plates; a second Oracle had appeared, only to be destroyed in a matter of seconds. Drakson shook his head in confusion.

“Variks, what are the Wolves doing with these… Oracles?”

“Wolves trying to tap the Oracles. Destroy them, Destroy them fast.”

Karaks growled at the reply, taking out a pair of Shanks that tried to flank them.

“Seems our Titan friend is already on it. Why did she seem so panicked on the first one?”

Drakson ducked under a wire rifle bolt, quickly sending a burst of molten metal into the face of the Vandal responsible.

“I’ll get her to explain after this!”

He rolled out of cover, firing a Shadowshot into the small group of Dregs; one of them disintegrated upon impact, creating a tether that immobilized the rest of them. Droksas and Karaks wasted no time eliminating them as another chime was heard… and another… and a fifth. Dragon was busy running around and eliminating the glowing cubes, the sixth chime sounding as the final Vandal hit the stone floor. The Oracle shattered into oblivion, and then there was silence; no Wolves, no chimes. They all regrouped in the back of the structure, where another open door stood.

“So… do we push in further?”

Dragon shook her head, looking at the circular doorway.

“Trust me… if they pushed in deeper, they’re not coming back out. Down there, there’s nothing but death waiting for them. If they survive the massive drop, that is.”

Droksas crossed her upper arms, while Karaks looked at Drakson. The Hunter nodded knowingly.

“You were part of the raid team sent here, right?”

The Titan nodded in response, sighing.

“I was the leader. My friends Wolf-14 and Latharius, your acquaintance Sokrates-115, Selene and a Warlock named Tessa Quinn. We cracked the seal on the outer door, fought the Oracles and the Templar here.”

She walked over to one of the walls, hand moving across several scars from rifle fire.

“I lost count of how many times we died, or how long we were in here… pushing into the Maze beneath us, having to sneak past the Gorgons. Then the assault on the Glass Throne, getting transported between time periods, finally destroying Atheon...”

She clenched her fist as memories of the combat resurfaced; red bolts of energy intermixed with bullets, the haunting chirping of the Gorgons searching for them, the confusion of finding herself in the distant past…

“We won, in the end. Put an end to this massive Vex project. But we never ventured back in. We resealed the Vault and headed home.”

She stood there, lost in thought. Drakson sighed and hailed Petra.

“Field Team here. We’re done. Any idea what they were up to?”

“Skolas wanted to use the Oracles as taps into the Vex network. This isn’t just a hunt anymore. A House with Vex technology is a threat to the whole system.”  
Variks cut in as well, summarizing what they were all thinking.

“Things simple now, yes? We find Skolas, we put an end to Kell of Kells. Or… Wolves put an end to us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for no chapter last weekend! Had a lot of irl stuff happening, and didn't want to rush the chapter out. You guys deserve a chapter of good quality, after all :3


	29. Archived Conversation - Record-23

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Audio unavailable  
> Transcript follows

TYPE: Transcript

 

DESCRIPTION: Conversation

 

PARTIES: Two [2]. One [1], Guardian-type, Class Warlock [u.1]; One [1], Guardian-type, Class Titan [u.2]

 

ASSOCIATIONS: Sea of Tranquility; Warriors of Luna; Cult of Osiris; Lunar Citadel; Daybreaker, Solra the; Umber, Selene

 

//AUDIO UNAVAILABLE//

 

//TRANSCRIPT FOLLOWS…/

 

 

[u.1:01] Well, this is unexpected. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?

 

[u.2:01] I think you already know why I’m here, so let’s drop the pleasantries.

 

[u.1:02] Fine. What do you want?

 

[u.2:02]The Cult demands that you speak with them. I know they’re not… your kind of people, but they insist that you confirm we’re all on the same page.

 

[u.1:03] They know what the Warriors stand for, and who we follow. I see no reason to pay them a visit to tell them what is obvious.

 

[u.2:03] That’s not all there is to it…

 

[u.1:04] What do you mean?

 

[u.2:04] The Cult is, well… nervous. A new faction has risen, and extremely fast too. And based in a Hive fortress, no less. They are unsure whether to view you as friend… or foe.

 

[u.1:05] And the Cult does ‘not’ have their stronghold in the middle of Vex territory on Mercury… Damn hypocrites.

 

[u.2:05] That’s a fair point.

 

[silence]

 

[u.1:06] Do you… could you bring a message to the Cult? It makes a better compromise.

 

[silence]

 

[u.2:06] Sure… What’s your message?

 

[u.1:07] Tell them that the Warriors will continue to protect the City, not play the Cult’s political and downright fanatical games. And that there won’t be any trouble as long as they don’t start any trouble.

 

[u.2:07] So, neither friend nor foe?

 

[u.1:08] For now, correct. Their own actions will determine if that changes.

 

 

/...END TRANSCRIPT///

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Real life's been really busy as of late, so the next coming chapters may not be regular at all when it comes to posting. I'll try to do my best, but no promises :3


	30. Queen's Ransom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team finally manages to corner Skolas, though the Awoken Queen's change of plans makes the task more complicated. Not to mention that they have to journey into the heart of Vex territory...

“I’m sorry, she wants us to do what?”

Drakson’s voice was one of both annoyance and disbelief, causing Dragon and Droksas to look into the cockpit from their seats in the troop compartment. On the other side of the line, Petra calmly explained.

“She wants Skolas to be captured alive. Apparently, she found the fact that he was after the technology from the Vault quite… interesting.”

“And exactly how are we gonna bring him in? Just killing him has proved damn near impossible. We’ve no idea where he is, and in order to get him we need to corner him. Find a spot he can’t escape from.”

Droksas shook her head in disbelief and looked at the Titan.

“Alive? Does Queen Sov have no idea how dangerous he is?”

“I suppose she has some kind of plan.”

The Exo replied with a shrug, crossing her arms as she listened to Petra’s response.

“Which is why you need to move fast. Skolas is personally moving on the Vex Citadel. Up there, he’ll have nowhere to go. I will stand by along with the Crows and move in once you’ve weakened or crippled him.”

Drakson sighed and ran a hand across his face, finally nodding.

“Very well. But you better be there, Petra. I may have sworn to aid Mara, but I’m not willing to risk lives on a high-risk idea that may not even work. Understood?”

“Loud and clear. I’ll be there.”

 

From the outside, the skiff was still in the same position as before; hidden below a cliff by the Waking Ruins transmat post, out of view from prying Winter eyes and Vex optics. Inside the cockpit, Drakson was quietly talking with Karaks while Dragon-19 tried to reach the former Wolf in the troop compartment.

“Droksas? Droksas, hello? Can you hear me?”

She stood up and patted the Eliksni on the shoulder. She snapped out of her thoughts and looked up at the Titan.

“Apologies, I just… we finally have him cornered, and now we’re to catch him alive instead?

She shook her head with a growling sigh, to which Dragon crouched down beside her.

“I doubt the Queen want to keep him alive forever though. She probably just wants information from him, and after that… he won’t really be useful anymore, will he? I’m sure you can get your revenge then.”

The Baroness looked at her once more, eyes squinting slightly as she frowned.

“It’s not about revenge. Not completely, at least. It’s about doing the right thing. He’s dangerous, unrelenting, and apparently mad now too. If he’s not stopped, everyone will suffer for it. Eliksni, human and Awoken alike.”

Before the Exo could respond, Drakson came into the compartment.

“Alright, better get ready. We’re heading into the heart of Vex territory this time.”

“Just another day at work, huh?”

Dragon-19 stood up with a chuckle, moving back to her seat as the Night Kell came over to Droksas.

“Droksas, look… you and Karaks are still coming along, but if things get dangerous I will order you to hang back. Okay?”

She growled softly in annoyance, but nodded nonetheless. Drakson walked over to a small weapons locker, opening it.

“Don’t worry, you’ll still be helping if the sightlines allow it.”

He assured, tossing a wire rifle to her. She snatched it out of the air, unholstering her shock rifle and placing the sniper in its spot. She nodded to him as the Kell walked back to the cockpit with a second wire rifle and placed it beside the pilot seat.

“Alright then, back to it team. Angel, prep for transmat.”

 

In four flashes of light, the field team were teleported to the small outpost by the Waking Ruins. Without a word the two Guardians summoned in their transports and hopped on, Karaks going with her mate while Droksas climbed onto Dragon’s Sparrow, her lower arms holding onto the Titan as they sped up along the right side of the Vault, past the structures and up a natural path, a small creek of orange liquid flowing down towards where they had come from.

“Remember, this is the Vex’s primary stronghold in the Ishtar Sink. IT will be heavily fortified, but if we speed through we should be able to get past without getting bogged down by the Hezen Protective.”

“The ‘Hezen Protective’?”  
Dragon asked, curious as to what the Hunter was talking about. He answered as they rounded a bend.

“A Vex programming, devoted to defending their most important locations. Like the Vault, and the Citadel.”

“Why is he going up the Citadel anyway? What does he have to gain that warrants the losses he’ll make?”

Petra seemed to have a suggestion, as she jumped into the conversation.  
“Seeing as he failed to unite the Houses, maybe now it’s about weapons? Outfitting the Wolves with Vex instruments of war?”  
“If Skolas believes he is Kell of prophecy, then weapons could turn the tale.”

Variks added in agreement. The team rounded another bend, this one a large structure instead of a natural rocky outcropping. Beyond was a massive open area, with a bridge of sorts leading to the bottom of the towering Citadel.

“Alright, full speed! Don’t get-”

Dragon was cut short as a Line Rifle hit her Sparrow, causing the whole thing to flip over at the high speed they were going at. She and Droksas were thrown into the dirt, and she got to her feet to see the Hobgoblin in the distance charging again, aiming at the Wolf.

“No!”

She leaped forward, Void energy surging from her hands. The Hobgoblin fired, the red bolt of pure energy soaring forward towards Droksas’ head… and impacting a purple bubble instead. She groaned and got to her knees, looking at the Titan standing above her, and the Ward of Dawn surrounding them both.

“You… saved my life.”

“Of course I did. Now get up, my Ward won’t hold forever.”

As Droksas stood up, Drakson and Karaks both stepped into the Ward as well, having taken cover behind a stone pillar as soon as the Sparrow had been hit.

“So much for blasting through… now we got a whole swarm of Vex to deal with.”

Throughout the area, Goblins and Harpies were marching towards them, both from across the bridge and from the natural ground below it, up the slopes to where they were currently standing. At the far side of said bridge, two Minotaurs were standing, and raised their torch hammers to bombard them with blasts of void energy,

“I can’t keep this up for long under such heavy fire...”

Dragon said through gritted teeth.

“Maybe a minute, definitely not longer. We need a plan, fast.”

Drakson nodded, sticking his Promise out of the bubble and taking down a group of Goblins that had closed the distance.

“We need to push across the bridge. Karaks, you and Droksas watch our backs, take out anything crawling up on us while keeping in cover of the Minotaurs ahead. Dragon, you and me up front. We’ll take out the Harpies, then charge those Minotaurs. We get inside before more warp in to keep us out. Got it?”

They all nodded in unison, readying their weapons. On his signal, Dragon let the Ward fall and rushed forward with her Strongbow-D. The shotgun kicked in her hands as she fired a 12-gauge straight into a Harpy, causing it to explode into tiny pieces. She snatched one of the metal shards midair and threw it towards the Hobgoblin on the right, who had shot them down earlier. It curved through the air and caught it dead in the radiolarian pod in its abdomen, and the Hobgoblin toppled forward, dead. Drakson managed to spot the throw, his eyes widening in surprise inside the helmet.

_She got some real aim…_

He returned his focus forward, destroying the second Harpy on the bridge with a round of molten shrapnel. As the chassis dropped to the metal framework he jumped over it, tossing a Voidwall grenade in an arc towards the Minotaurs. It landed between them and erupted to both sides in purple flames, destroying their Void-lattice shields as Dragon reached them, pumping two rounds into the first before leaping into the air, avoiding a swipe from the second. As it looked up at the Titan above it, its core got destroyed by shrapnel rounds, and it dropped as well.

“Hurry!”

Drakson called out, waving the two Eliksni over. They were right behind them, firing at the Goblins who were marching across the bridge. Droksas hurried over to the entrance, where Dragon had to help her up the high ledge. She crawled up and fired at the approaching Vex as Karaks got helped up, before Dragon used her Lift to reach them.

“Draco, come on!”

The Hunter nodded, running out of cover and jumping into the air, before jumping a second time to reach them. He landed as red bolts of energy impacted the rocks all around them, the Goblins now in range.

“Hurry, inside!”

Dragon returned fire, using her own body to shield the Eliksni as they headed up the stairs and around the corner. The Titan threw a grenade at the Goblins, taking out half a dozen before rounding the corner as well, catching up to the rest of the team.

“Petra, Variks, we’re inside. Where’s Skolas, and how do we get to him.”

She asked as they came to a halt, taking a quick breath while Drakson watched their back.

“I’ve got a bearing on his signal, top of the tower. Better find a way up there… there’s a strong gravity distortion further inside. Maybe a grav lift?”

“We’ll check it out.”

Dragon nodded, patting Droksas on the back as she stepped forward, taking the lead.

“Stick close, this is the heart of enemy territory.”

 

The team moved forward into the corridor, and around the corner were met with the sight of a recent firefight; dead Wolves were scattered on the stone floor, along with dead and shattered Vex. They stepped across the bodies of Dregs and Vandals, past wrecks of Goblins and Shanks, until they reached an open room. The battle inside was still raging, as a large Hydra and several Goblins were trying to keep two Captains and their squads at bay, hunkered down behind cover and taking potshots at the Vex. Behind the Vex forces was an odd beam of energy leading up, a shield projected around it. Likely the source of the gravity distortion. Dragon wasted no time, rushing in guns blazing, taking down two Vandals before slamming her body into the Captain, denting the rock pillar he was using as cover. He fell to the ground, his eyes black and lifeless, as the Titan quickly eliminated the rest of the few remaining Wolves. The Hydra roared a digital shriek and opened fire on her position with its built in torch hammers, keeping her pinned as the Goblins tried to maneuver around to flank her. Their efforts were cut short, however, as a Shadowshot flew over her head, hitting the Hydra and activating. It and the majority of the Goblins were bound in place, blinded and helpless while the ones too far from the tether were cut down by Droksas and Karaks. Dragon nodded to them, before rushing out with her shotgun and over to the Hydra, filling its central optics with buckshot. The chassis overloaded and dropped to the ground, glowing before it exploded, sending the Titan flying back. The tethered Goblins turned towards the sound, but were quickly gunned down by Drakson as he hurried over to her body. Fenrir was already swiping his beam over her, and she got to her knees with a groan.

“Darn… I forgot Hydras tend to explode...”

The Hunter held out a hand to her, and she grasped it as he helped her back on her feet. The room was clear, but the shield around the lift was still up.

“Angel?”

<The strange interface, on the right. It’s connected to the shielding.>

The Ghost materialized and flew over to it, scanning as she began hacking her way into it. A few moments later the light on the interface changed from red to light blue, and the shield disappeared.

“Okay, up the lift then.”

Angel flashed out of existence again as she flew back to her Guardian, who walked over to the strange lift. He could feel it tugging at him by just being near it, trying to pull him upwards. Dragon came up to him, patting him on the shoulder as she stepped forward, floating up into the beam. Drakson looked over at Karaks and Droksas, then stepped into it as well, the two Eliksni following shortly after. While they were lifted upwards into the Citadel, Variks came in over the comms.

“I was House Judgment Scribe to House Wolves. I stood with Skolas for much of Reef Wars. Now, I stand with you in Judgment of Wolf Kell. That feels… right, somehow...”

The Night Kell smiled slightly inside his helmet. Variks had always seemed like he was unsure if he had made the right decisions, going against the Wolves in order to keep a fragile peace. He admired the Scribe’s bravery; few would have been willing to risk life and limb to betray their people in service to the greater good. Then again, Zavala would likely say he had betrayed the City.

_Guess we’re not so different after all, Variks._

 

Once at the top, Dragon looked around, expecting another Vex army. Instead, she found the rather small platform very devoid of anything. Before her was a large, empty gap leading straight down to certain death, probably kilometers down.

“Better not fall down…”

On the far side of the huge swath of nothingness, except for a few smaller platforms fading in and out of reality, was a much larger platform, and a Wolf Ketch loomed behind it.

“Skolas’ Ketch! This is it, Field Team.”  
Petra confirmed the Titan’s suspicions as Drakson landed on the platform, Droksas and Karaks right behind him. They all looked at the gap, and the Hunter nodded.

“Right, I guess this is where we split up. Karaks, Droksas, you stay here and provide cover fire with the wire rifles. If we have to cross on those platforms, you won’t make it. The gap between them is too large.”

The Night Baroness nodded, drawing her wire rifle and looking down the scope. Droksas drew hers as well, nodding to the Guardians.

“We’ll have your back. Go on, bring my father to his knees.”

Dragon and Drakson walked over to the edge, waiting for the closest platform to reappear. Once it did, they jumped across to it, running over it and jumping as the next one appeared. This cycle repeated until they were at a small, solid tower, roughly halfway across the gap.

“Petra, what are these weird platforms?”

“The Vex tech here matches a signature from the Vault of Glass. These machines, or platforms, fade in and out of our timeline. You’re getting close, the Crows and I are inbound.”

“Oh, great. Vex never do anything the easy way, huh?”

Dragon sighed and continued along the second half, Drakson right beside her. After several close calls they reached the massive platform, and could now see that it was interspersed with Vex transit gates. Oddly enough, with Wolf tech hooked up to them. Before they could inspect the closest one, however, a small storm cloud with digital energy markings around it appeared before them, and Dragon pushed them into cover.

“More Vex, great.”

They popped out to fire as the teleportation storms deposited… Eliksni. Wolves and Winter. Dragon stared at them in disbelief.

“What the...”

“What? Guardian, there’s dozens of new Wolf signatures, and the number keeps growing! It’s the Vex tech!”

Petra seemed to catch on to the situation while Dragon shook her head. She ducked down as they opened fire, tossing a grenade over the cover. As the explosion resounded she vaulted over as well, firing at the combined forces. Wire rifle bolts flew across the gap, hitting several Vandals with lethal accuracy as Drakson followed the Titan. Ahead, more of the strange Vex storms appeared, and more Winter forces came into being.

“Skolas is pulling the entire House of Wolves through time!”

Drakson remembered the odd Vex signatures when they first met Skolas, and the disappearing Winter and Wolf forces.

_This must be where they ended up!_

He gunned down as many of the Dregs, Vandals, Shanks and Captains that materialized out of thin air, following Dragon who was doing the same while the two Eliksni on their side sniped down whatever they could. After fighting through what seemed like a small army, they reached the “top” of the platform. Another transit gate was there, guarded by two Servitors. Before anyone could fire, however, the gate activated and Skolas stepped out, laughing as he roared in triumph.

/I stole the gift of Freedom! Secrets of space and time! House Wolves will stand forever!/

“He has nowhere left to run! Take him down!”

Petra urged over the comms, and the two Guardians opened fire. Both Servitors were swiftly destroyed, but Skolas pinned Drakson down with his massive shrapnel launcher.

/You are a false Kell! I will lead our people to salvation! I am the Kell of Kells!/

Dragon moved around and managed to nick the massive Wolf in the side with her auto rifle, to which he roared and opened fire on her, blasting her left arm clean off. She ducked back into cover, crying out in pain. The Hunter jumped out of his cover, firing Dreg’s Promise at Skolas’ weapon and knocking it out of his grasp. As he landed with a roll, he felt a hand clench around his throat. Skolas lifted him up, glaring angrily at him.

/You thought you could defeat me? I am the rightfully chosen by destiny!/

Drakson could feel the grip tightening, his vision going blurry. While he may not need air, there were still vital components and wires getting damaged. He grasped onto Skolas’ arm, trying to break free with no success. Then out of nowhere, a familiar voice roared behind Skolas, who let go and dropped to one knee with a surprised growl of pain. The Night Kell, landed on his feet, staggering backwards as Skolas turned to look at his attacker. Droksas was brandishing her blades, glaring at him with fury.

/My daughter…/

He was cut short as Drakson punched him square in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. The Wolf Baroness followed with a four-fisted punch straight down into his head, knocking him out cold. They had done it. Skolas was beaten.

“What are you doing here?”

He choked forth as Angel started fixing up his damaged parts. Dragon came walking out of cover, her arm once again reattached. Droksas looked at them both.

“I could not let you take him on alone. I jumped across the platforms to help.”

Before any of the Guardians could interject, a Galliot flew in from the jungles outside the Citadel, projecting a red beam onto Skolas’ unconscious form. Petra had arrived.

“The House of Wolves is broken! Stand by for a message.”

The next voice to appear on the comms was one Drakson had not heard in years, and he almost knelt out of reflex.

“This is Mara Sov, Queen of the Awoken. Guardian, when you first came in search of the Black Garden, I thought of you as just another mote of Light, too far from its Traveler. I see now that I was wrong. Accept my thanks, and the promise of a fitting reward. Honored Kell of Night, I thank you once more for assisting me and my people. As you hold true to your oath, so shall I hold true to mine. Petra, bring Skolas to me!”

The large Wolf Kell laying on the ground vanished in a flash of transmat, and Petra chuckled over the comms.

“Capture confirmed. I almost feel sorry for Skolas here. Conversations with the Queen can be… harsh. Anyway, I’ll meet you back at the Reef. Well done.”

The Galliot reversed out of the Citadel and flew away, heading out of the atmosphere. Drakson sat down on the cold metal, looking at Droksas.

“What you did was reckless. Risking your one life for us.”

“I know, I just couldn’t-”

“Thanks.”

She looked up in surprise as the Hunter interrupted her.

“You were willing to risk yourself to save us. I can’t be angry at you for that. Well done, Night Baroness.”

Droksas eyes glowed as she realized what had just happened, and she knelt before him, bowing her head.

“Thank you, my Kell. Thank you… father.”

Dragon looked at them, feeling a little awkward.

“Okay, so… how about we get out of here?”

 

A day later, after some much needed rest and recovery, the team was back in the Vestian Outpost, the Syriks-fel holding position just outside. Petra was waiting at her post, smiling as they approached.

“An excellent hunt, team. While I may not have been in the field with you, I still had more fun than I’ve had in years.”

Dragon smiled, crossing her arms.

“It’s what we do, Venj.”

Petra nodded, taking out a Reef-made sidearm; a Vestian Dynasty, the main weapon of the Corsairs. She held it out to the Titan, who stepped forward and accepted it.

“Variks also has quite the amount of amethyst crystals for you. I think he wanted to give it to you personally. However, the hunt has only just started. Several high-profile Wolves are running free in the system. If you’re interested in taking them down, there are more rewards to reap.”

Dragon grinned, holstering the sidearm.

“I love the thrill of the hunt. I’m in.”

She looked to Drakson, who nodded.

“Me and my House will assist as well. But, I have a certain reward in mind.”

“Oh?”

Petra raised an eyebrow.

“Twelve Galliot-class fighters, as well as the training of twelve hand-picked Vandals.”

The Corsair looked at him with an unreadable expression, then smiled slightly.

“I will need to talk with Mara about that, but I believe that can be arranged.”

Drakson nodded as she handed over a datapad, containing the list of names that were wanted. It wasn’t a small one; she really wasn’t kidding when she said that the hunt had only just began.

“Well then, what are we waiting for?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About time another chapter got posted, huh? I've been stuck on this one for a while, but finally managed to get it done. I apologize for the long break, but between getting a new job, looking after two dogs and trying to get enough sleep, it has been difficult to find time to write. I cannot promise that I will be able to upload regularly, but I will try my best. As a treat for having waited so long, I will post another Destiny short story this sunday, featuring an Eliksni we all know and love (to hate). You are challenged, in the ways of old...


	31. The Queenbreaker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Wolf Hunt has begun. While the House of Night's highest ranking members spread out to claim the bounties of high profile Wolf targets, Drakson and Dragon-19 set their sights on the Sea of Storms.

“Are we sure this guy is even here?”

Drakson looked over his shoulder at the impatient Titan and sighed. The skiff was cramped enough as it was, he certainly didn’t need repetitive complaints filling the air as well.

“For the last time, yes. He was last seen heading towards this area, and there are no other cryo-traces on the entire moon. Even if it’s not Saviks, it’s still a Wolf who escaped the Prison of Elders.”

As the skiff approached the area known as Archer’s Line in the Ocean of Storms, Drakson throttled down until they were above the small Guardian outpost which had been hastily set up just a few months earlier. As they both transmatted down to the grey, rocky surface of the moon, the skiff’s autopilot sent it on a rendezvous path with the Syriks-fel in orbit.

“Let’s hope this time goes better than our last visit to the moon, huh?”

Dragon-19 loaded her Arminius-D while talking to Drakson. After making sure it was combat ready, she unholstered her Jabberhäkke and twirled it like a Hunter would with a hand cannon. That was a very rare trait among other classes, especially Titans. Then again, most Titans preferred to protect the Wall or cut a swath through enemy forces, instead of being a trophy hunter, constantly looking for new prey.

“Last time we were here, we faced a Hive god. This time we’re only looking for a Wolf Captain. And his entire gang of Dregs, Vandals and other Captains. Still, less than what we found in the Oversoul Throne.”

“Oversoul Throne?”

Drakson shrugged and summoned his scout pike. As he stepped on, Dragon summoned her own sparrow.

“I don’t know, it’s what Selene called that place. Personally, I think “hell” is more appropriate.”

Dragon simply nodded, before the two hit the accelerator and sped across the moon’s surface, dust kicking up behind them.

 

A few minutes later, the Guardians had arrived at the old lunar colony called theAnchor of Light. Among the ruined and scattered remains of the once-great complexes and crashed shuttles were an unusual lack of activity. The House of Exile were infamous for crawling all over this part of the Ocean of Storms, but evidently they had pulled back.

“I know it’s a cliche, but I just have to say it. It’s too quiet here.”

Drakson stopped the pike and stepped off, shrapnel launcher already in hand.

“I agree. The Wolves must be here.”

Instead of replying, Dragon simply tapped his shoulder and pointed to their left. Drakson followed her gaze, and quickly saw the object that had gotten her attention; a Dreg, clad in blue armor, barely visible through the wreckage of an old wall. It walked further, disappearing from their view. In response, Drakson pointed towards the cliff overlooking the area their prey no doubt occupied. The Titan nodded, and they quietly made their way up, eventually overlooking a skiff and a whole bunch of Fallen, all wearing the colors of the House of Wolves. Among them was a Captain who stood taller than the others, and his cloak was pure pelt. Where the Wolves had gotten it, and from what creatures, was something Drakson had never figured out. Next to him, Dragon observed them with her binoculars.

“That sure looks like him. Awful lot of of Fallen, though. What are they up to?”

“Looks like they’re salvaging metal from the colony base. And judging from the crates, I’d say the operation is about done.”

The Titan put the binoculars back into her backpack, and looked at Drakson while drawing her rifle.

“So what’s the plan?”

“If he acts like any other Eliksni overseeing an operation, he’ll wait for his crew to leave with the spoils before he leaves himself. So the moment that skiff takes off, we hit him. I’ll get down there and distract him, and then you hit from behind. Got it?”

Dragon gave him a thumbs-up, before returning her attention to the milling Wolves below. Drakson began to slowly make his way down, before sneaking up to the ruins and hiding behind what remained of a load-bearing pillar. Now he just had to wait for Saviks to be left alone. A minute passed.

Then another.

And another.

And finally he heard the familiar sound of the skiff’s engines. A quick peek confirmed that their target was all alone. But he wouldn’t stick around for long. They had to act fast.

 

As Drakson slowly rounded the pillar he had hid behind, the barrel of his shrapnel launcher made a soft “clang” as it bumped into a small beam that was sticking out of the ground. As he hoped it hadn’t been loud enough, Saviks spun around, wire rifle already charging. Drakson barely had time to duck before it fired towards him, passing clean through the shrapnel launcher. The Hunter rolled behind an adjacent rock and quickly inspected the damage; the bolt had hit the barrel at an angle, exiting just over the trigger. The insides were completely molten and fused, leaving the weapon about as useful as a hunk of scrap. He tossed it aside, vaulted over the rock and charged straight at the Captain. Surprised by this reckless strategy, Saviks didn’t react until Drakson was practically hugging him. The Kell grabbed the lower right arm and kept running past, turning around and gripping Saviks’ lower left arm as well. He put a boot to the Wolf’s back, and pulled with all his strength. Saviks tried to shake the Guardian off, but he refused to let go. Finally, an audible “pop” was heard, followed shortly by a howling roar from the Queenbreaker. Drakson let go and jumped backwards as the Captain turned towards him, his lower right arm hanging limp and useless. Before he could take aim, however, a fist hit his head at full speed from above, throwing him off-balance. Saviks tried to regain his balance, stumbling several meters before he fell over. Dragon stood up and cracked her knuckles; while Drakson had wrestled the Captain, she had sprinted at full speed and jumped off the cliff, aiming at their prey, who was now struggling to get to his feet. When he finally did so, the Titan started running straight at him. In response, Saviks moved forward while preparing a punch with his left arms. Just before they made contact, however, Dragon sidestepped and grabbed the incoming arm, pushing it further behind her while she herself ground to a halt. Saviks went flying into the ground next to Drakson, knocking up dust and pebbles, before getting back up with another roar. Just as he stumbled to his feet, Drakson gave him a left hook, hitting him square in the jaw. Before he could counterattack, the Hunter grabbed hold of the wire rifle, and Saviks’ grip on his weapon tightened. Drakson yanked it downwards, and as Saviks pulled it back, the Hunter smacked the barrel right into the Eliksni’s head. Finally having received enough punishment, Saviks’ grip on the wire rifle slipped and he went crashing into the ground yet again. But this time, he tried to crawl away, without much success. As Drakson stepped over to the literally Fallen, wire rifle in hand, he rolled over on his back, ether hissing through a dent in his mask; the last hit had broken something vital. Drakson noticed it too, and lowered the barrel to his head, before speaking to him in Eliksni.

/We may be your enemies, but we are not monsters. I’ll end it quick./

In response, Saviks gripped the barrel of the wire rifle, pulled it down until it made contact with his helmet, and closed his eyes. Drakson did not hesitate, he held down the trigger to charge up the weapon, and a second later it fired, sending a jolt throughout the entire Captain’s body. With a sigh, the arm that held the barrel fell to the ground, as lifeless as the rest of the body.

 

Dragon stepped over to the dead Captain as Drakson inspected the wire rifle.

“This guy clearly liked his weapon. Look at it, this thing is extremely modified. Custom scope, decreased charge time, probably a bunch more underneath the outer plating. I think I’ll keep it.”

Dragon knelt next to Saviks’ corpse, inspecting the hole in his head. After a few seconds, she looked up at Drakson.

“Did he just… accept his death? Or did my optical sensors malfunction when he pulled the barrel to his head?”

“You saw correct.”

“But… why? Every Fallen I’ve ever encountered kept on fighting until they lay dead. Even when they were barely alive, they refused to back down.”

As the Titan mentioned the word “Fallen”, Drakson clenched his fists. He relaxed a second later, and his companion seemed to not notice.

“Not all Eliksni are the same. Saviks saw that his death was unavoidable, and simply wanted me to end it. He knew he had lost, and he made peace with that. As you’ll hopefully see, there are still those among the Houses who retain their honor, and will do whatever they can to live up to it.”

He took a final look at the dead Wolf, before turning around and walking back to his pike. Dragon unholstered Saviks’ shock dagger from his belt, and put it in her backpack before following close after. Her trophy from this foe.

“Let’s go. His gang will return to pick him up. He deserves to be brought back with them, instead of rotting here among these ruins.”

Shortly after, two trails of flames streaked away from the Anchor of Light, back towards Archer’s Line. Behind them, a skiff flew down toward the remains of the Wolf Captain. Dragon looked back as they headed back to the landing zone.

“What about a name?”

Drakson looked over at her from his pike, confused.

“What?”

“A name. For the weapon. It’s unique as you said, shouldn’t it have a name?”

The Kell shrugged as they came around the bend to Archer’s Line.

“I have no idea. You got any?”

Dragon thought about it as they drove down the transmat zone, then nodded when they came to a stop.

“Yeah. Wire rifles are kinda like bows; charge up, then release with lethal accuracy.”

“So, what’s your name?”

Drakson asked, stepping off the pike and unholstering the wire rifle in question. Dragon did the same, crossing her arms with a smirk under her helmet.

“Queenbreaker’s Bow.”


	32. The Veiled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Wolf Hunt continues, with Soralkis and Droksas being teamed up per Rahn's suggestion. Together, they set out to track down Droksas' old mentor; Beltrik.

“I’m not quite sure about this, Rahn.”

Drakson sighed and ran a hand across his metal face as he walked towards the hangar, the larger Baron walking beside him.

“The two have not even met before, and their fighting styles differ wildly.”

“Which is why together they will fight well.”

Rahn answered simply.

“They have each their strengths, and thus will compensate for the weaknesses of the other.”

“If they don’t come to blows on how to operate.”

The Kell mumbled as the doors to the hangar opened, and they headed towards a skiff where two Eliksni were waiting, inspecting their weaponry. They stopped and holstered their gear as the Kell and Baron came over.

“Everything in order, Soralkis?”

“Yes, my Kell.”

Soralkis nodded, crossing her upper arms with her lower ones on her belt.

“Good. Droksas, all set?”

“I am, father.”

The former Wolf nodded, now wearing a jet-black suit of armor with red accents like the rest of the House. She had kept her lovos-fur cloak, but the Night sigil was now emblazoned on it. She had also taken to calling him and Karaks “father” and “mother” the last few days, much to their pleasant surprise. Soralkis glanced over at her, then returned her attention to the pair.

“We’re ready to head out whenever you say, Drakson. Our target?”

Angel hovered over, giving the details from the bounty file Petra had sent.

<A Wolf named Beltrik, the Veiled. A master tactician, captured during the Fortuna Plummet.>

Droksas lowered her gaze, blue eyes closing with a sigh.

“Beltrik… I should have figured.”

They all turned to her, and she looked at them before explaining.

“He was a friend of mine, and the one who trained me. He’s an expert in blade-combat, as well as stealth. He will be tricky to take down. One advantage is that I know his fighting style, and therefore we can counter it.”

Drakson nodded, smiling slightly.

“Alright then. He’s currently held up in the Ember Caves, Ishtar Sink. Intel suggests he’s been there since the Wolf Rebellion, and he’s not showing any signs of moving. But to be safe, we should take him out as soon as possible.”

The Night Talon Commander nodded, then pressed a fist to her chest.

“He will not escape.”

She said confidently before boarding the skiff. Droksas stepped towards the skiff, turning her head to look at Drakson. He patted her shoulder with a reassuring smile, and she nodded to him before boarding as well. The Kell stood with Rahn, watching as the skiff came to life and flew out of the hangar towards Venus below them.

“I hope they’ll work together well.”

Rahn placed a hand on the Exo’s shoulder.

“They will. Of that I am certain. Now, I have to prepare for my target.

“Right, you’re going with Karaks?”

Drakson looked over at him, and he nodded in response.

“Eya. Worry not, my Kell. I will make sure she returns alive, and hopefully unharmed too.”

 

Aboard the skiff, Soralkis was behind the controls as she steered towards the planet below, obscured by large, wispy yellow clouds.

/Amazing to think that this world was completely inhospitable to any form of life before the Great Machine./

Droksas walked up behind her, watching Venus on the screens.

/We’re putting down close to his location, right?/

/Yes, the Headlands area. Close enough to reach him quickly, far enough for a safe drop off./

Soralkis answered, and Droksas nodded.

/So, we move in fast, cut down his squad and engage him in blade-combat. He’s skilled, but two equally skilled opponents is too much for him to handle alone./

/What?/

Soralkis turned her head to look at her in confusion.

/Are you crazy? Charging in headfirst is reckless! We take him out at range before he has a chance to even spot us./

Droksas huffed and crossed her arms.

/Reckless? Facing your opponent directly in battle is the most honorable way./

/It’s stupid and near suicidal! There’s no wonder the Wolves lost the Reef Wars if you all think like that./

/”Us” all?! I am no Wolf!/

Droksas growled in anger, and Soralkis sighed in annoyance.

/Maybe not anymore, but you were raised Wolf. And you still think like one./

The new Baroness turned her back and walked back into the troop compartment, closing the door without a word. Soralkis sighed again, cracking her neck. The mission was not off to a good start.

 

The skiff touched down in the Headlands, and the two Eliksni dropped down without a word. Soralkis remotely controlled it to hide underneath a nearby overhang, engaging its cloaking as well.

/Follow me./

She chittered and hurried towards the higher outcroppings, climbing up effortlessly. Droksas was right behind her, not a fan of having to stick to higher ground, but she knew that it was for the best. If any Guardians passed through and spotted them they’d be gunned down without a second thought. And their deaths would be permanent, as they had no Ghosts to bring them back. They moved quickly across the rocky plateaus, staying close to the path in the small valley on their right, leading straight to the Ember Caves. Despite its name, it was a large, open area. The path continued further up, towards the towering Vex Citadel in the distance. Nestled in the rock wall on the opposite side was the entrance to the Winter’s Lair. A few Winter forces, mostly Dregs and Shanks, were on guard at the moment. The rest of the open area was filled with pools of water, heated by the volcanic activity beneath, as well as large boulders and outcroppings. And among the classic Venusian features, a squad of Wolves were wandering around. Vandals and Dregs, commanded by a large Captain. Two shock blades were holstered on his belt, and his cloak and shoulder pauldrons were decorated to indicate a high-ranking member. Soralkis brought up her wire rifle to her eyes, zooming in on him.

/That’s our target alright. You said he was your friend?/

Droksas came up beside her with a heavy sigh.

/Yes. And mentor. He trained me in blade-combat and tactical. He’s a master of stealth and tactics. He’ll use any advantage he can get or come up with./

/Right. So we take him out quick before he.. darn it./  
She growled and lowered the rifle as Beltrik moved out of her sight, one of the large boulders between him and them now. Droksas patted her shoulder, moving past her.

/I got this./

/Wait, what are you-/

Before Soralkis could continue she had dropped down and started moving towards the Wolves, moving from cover to cover. The Commander growled in annoyance, raising her rifle again as she chittered into her helmet communicator.

/Droksas! You’re gonna get yourself killed!/

The former Wolf stopped behind the boulder that was keeping Beltrik from view and picked up a small stone, feeling the weight.

/Get ready with your wire rifle./

She responded, then tossed the rock into a nearby pool with an audible splash. Beltrik whipped around, drawing his blades as the rest of his squad looked at each other, chittering quietly. The Captain slowly stepped towards the pool, eyes looking around everywhere. On the higher ground, Soralkis took aim as he came back into view.

/Got you now…/

She held down the trigger, charging the bolt before it fired… and grazed his shoulder plating as Beltrik ducked, roaring in anger. The squad immediately opened fire against Soralkis’ position, forcing her to backstep and crouch down. Droksas acted, charging out of cover and cutting down two of the Vandals before locking blades with Beltrik.

/We meet again, old friend./

She chittered angrily, and the Captain hissed as he recognized her.

/The traitor daughter returns, under a new banner…/

 

Droksas pulled back before lunging at him again. The Wolves had turned their attention to her now, but was unable to act before three quick shots from Soralkis put down the remaining Vandal and half the Dregs. Beltrik roared, and the Winter forces up on the platform started making their way over as he circled Droksas, putting her between himself and Soralkis. The sharpshooter groaned in annoyance, quickly eliminating the two remaining Wolf Dregs instead, then focused on the Winter Dregs. Beltrik pushed Droksas back, then chittered to the Shanks.

/Block that sniper’s view!/

The hovering drones hurried over to form a line as the Captain kept Droksas busy in blade-combat, and the Shanks turned their rotors on to max power; causing the Venusian dust to be kicked up into a cloud around them, completely obscuring the whole are.

/Damn it! Droksas, I have no visual, the Shanks are kicking up a dust cloud!/

She chittered into her mask’s radio. The former Wolf, currently busy inside said cloud, growled in frustration.

/I have noticed! Give me a moment!/

She pushed Beltrik back after their blades met, spun under his slash and charged away from him, towards the Shanks. She sliced clean through the first, continuing the slash into the next. As she moved against the last one, Beltrik tackled her from behind, yet she managed to cut it down before she hit the ground and lost her grip on the shock blades. The dust started to settle slowly, but it was still hard to see anything. She attempted to kick Beltrik off, but the Wolf didn’t buckle as he pinned her to the ground, trying to get his blades to her throat. She gripped his arms and kept him at bay with all her might, growling in anger. All she could see of him was the dark shape against the light brown, illuminated dust in the air around the, the arcing energy on his shock blades, and his glowing eyes.

/Die, traitor!/

He roared, pressing one blade closer to her neck. She could feel the electricity from it being so close. Up on the ridge, Soralkis was watching the cloud settle through her scope. As soon as she could make out a shape in the cloud, too large to be Droksas, she immediately took aim, charged up and fired another bolt. Beltrik recoiled as it pierced his shield, his helmet and his skull, impacting the ground behind him. He slumped over Droksas, his eyes going dark. She heaved him off her with a groan, standing up as Soralkis came down and hurried over to her.

/You okay?/

/I’m fine, don’t worry. Good shooting./

Soralkis holstered her rifle, looking at their dead target. Droksas picked up and holstered her blades, then stood beside her.

/I’m glad I had you to cover my back./

Soralkis looked over at the slightly taller Eliksni.

/I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you./

Droksas nodded.

/So… does that mean we make a good team? Despite me being a “reckless Wolf”?/

She asked and crossed her upper arms. Soralkis couldn’t help but chuckle, placing a hand on her shoulder.

/Yeah, we do. Come on, let’s get back to the skiff… Sister Wolf./

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 5 weeks, another chapter. Sorry for the long wait times, but there's been a lot going on irl lately. I try my best to get the writing done, but I also believe in quality over quantity. So I hope you guys can bear with me as I try to get these out within reasonable time without making the story suffer. Thank you for the patience :3


	33. Fang's Folly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Soralkis and Droksas face off against Beltrik, Rahn and Karaks head to Earth to eliminate the Wolf Baroness Drevis, Commander of the Silent Fang

“I hope they’ll work together well.”

Rahn placed a hand on the Drakson’s shoulder.

“They will. Of that I am certain. Now, I have to prepare for my target.

“Right, you’re going with Karaks?”

The Exo looked over at him, and he nodded in response.

“Eya. Worry not, my Kell. I will make sure she returns alive, and hopefully unharmed too.”

The Baron chuckled and gave his shoulder a pat before walking towards another skiff in the hangar, and Drakson headed back towards the bridge. At the skiff, a certain Baroness was busy checking her gear and the craft itself.

/Karaks. Ready for our mission?/

She looked up at him, nodding before looking back to the skiff and fiddling with some circuitry under an opened plate.

/As soon as I get this working again. Wiring took a hit in the last flight it seems, cloaking field is inoperable./

Rahn sat down on a crate, watching the skiff with Soralkis and Droksas fly out of the hangar along with two others, before the massive door closed.

/Next stop, our old territory./

He mumbled and inspected his shrapnel launcher. Karaks looked over at him.

/Yeah. Let’s just hope the Devils stay out of our way. I want a clear shot at Drevis./

She growled softly, then closed the panel as the ketch rumbled slightly, setting course for Earth and activating its warp.

/There, all done./

The Baroness came over and sat down beside Rahn, closing her eyes. He stayed quiet, leaning his weapon against the crate.

/Tha-/

The Baron raised a hand, cutting her off.

/Don’t. You don’t need to thank me over and over. I did what was right./

Karaks opened her eyes and turned to him.

/You saved my life. You could have left me behind, continued the battle. I can never thank you enough./

/As I said, I did what was right. You were injured, I had the chance to get you out of there. To safety./

Rahn simply nodded, and she looked at her robotic arm; turning her hand, clenching her fist, bending the elbow. It all felt just as natural as her organic arms. At first she had hated it. She’d felt like a half-Dreg, ashamed by how that Risen, Shaxx, had docked her of her arm. But in time she had come to accept it, the strength and durability of it. In a way, it even made her feel closer to Drakson. She snapped out of her thoughts as the ketch shuddered slightly, and Rahn stood up holding one of his hands out to her.

/Come on, mission time./

 

Rahn was standing behind Karaks as she piloted the skiff towards the Cosmodrome that for years had been their home. Now, it was hostile territory. Everything within would be out to kill them; Devils, Wolves, the Hive, Guardians. The House of Night had no allies when operating here. And no other Night members were heading down with them.

/So, why were you so eager to go after Drevis?/

He asked eventually as the large colony ship, now renamed the Devil’s Spire, came into view through the clouds. She shrugged, turning the craft towards the rocky shoreline and activating the cloak.

/The sooner this hunt is over, the sooner me and Drakson can take it easy again. Relax. Spend time together./

/Yes, but why Drevis specifically? You made it clear you wanted to take down the Silent Fang Commander. So why? Rivalry, or?/

/Rivalry?/

Karaks asked in confusion, looking at him over her shoulder.

/Yeah. You know, she’s the Silent Fang Commander, you were the Devil Claw Commander, and now the mentor of the Night Talon Commander. Thought maybe you wanted to prove that you were better than her?/

The Baroness returned her focus to the instruments, shaking her head.

/No. During the chase for Skolas, Drevis made an open communication where she called Drakson… well, hear for yourself./

She quickly played the recording of the comm line from her helmet, and Rahn seemed to almost pale.

/That’s…/

/Yeah. She has to die./

/No argument here. Just don’t let anger cloud your judgment, Baroness./

Karaks gave him a nod, angling the skiff up as the approached the shore before turning left, towards a small path connecting the shore and the subterranean grottoes.

/Wolves will be watching the skies over at the Forgotten Shore, Hive will be swarming by the Grotto entrance. We set down in the safe no man’s land between them, then head towards the Wolves./

/Good plan./

Rahn complimented, then walked back to the troop compartment.

 

The skiff came in low over the sea, slight ripples in the water underneath being the only indication of the cloaked craft as it sped towards the rocky shoreline. Karaks slowed down as they approached, stopping just over what seemed like a well-worn path along the coast. A Guardian trail. She set the skiff to hover and walked into the troop compartment, nodding to Rahn as she opened the hatches. The Baron nodded back, then crawled out one of the hatches and dropped to the ground, shrapnel launcher raised as he looked around. Karaks dropped down a few seconds later, shock pistols drawn in her secondary arms. They shared a quick nod before hurrying along the trail, keeping the rocky wall on their left and the sea on their right. Further down they climbed up on a rock arch, keeping low to the ground. Karaks took out a scope and held it to two of her eyes; she could see the rusted tankers and ruined structures of the Forgotten Shore clearly.

/Where are you…/

She chittered softly to herself, looking around the large area. Devils were squatting in the ancient boats, like always. A couple of Dregs were moving around a few broken concrete pillars over by the entrance to a valley she remembered leading to the Mothyards. A Vandal and a Shank were on lookout by a cave opening to the right of that again. All of them Devils. As she zoomed out with a sigh, she caught a glimpse of something closer to them, by the old structure at the coast; once it had been at sea level, but now it stood on a rocky pillar twenty meters above the ground, the waves lapping at the new shoreline a few meters further out. In the shadow below it, a lone Dreg was walking idly. A Dreg wearing Wolf colors.

/Found one. Below the pillar-ruin./

She informed Rahn, handing over the scope. The Baron focused on the location, nodding slightly.

/Yes. Likely a lookout for the pack. I’d wager the rest are in the same area, just out of- wait. We got more of them coming into view./

He gave Karaks the scope back, and she immediately saw; from behind the rocky pillar another Dreg came walking, accompanied by a Vandal. She could make out the engine of a Shank as well from around the corner.

/We gotta get closer… come on./

 

The duo climbed down from the arch and continued along the trail, finding the first spot to climb up the rock wall on the right to get to higher ground. Once on top of the plateau, they followed it until they were just above the cave entrance, the Vandal below oblivious to their presence. Karaks took out the scope once more; sure enough, she could see most of the Wolves now.

/I count three Dregs, four Vandals, two Shanks. And I’m betting the large Captain is Drevis./

The Captain in question was standing in the middle of the pack, a scorch cannon hefted on her shoulder. Her armor was ornamented, her lovos-fur cloak long with more bands of fur across her shoulders. She turned to her left, giving Karaks a clear look at her helmet; instead of a Wolf sigil, it bore the symbol of the Silent Fang.

/Yeah, it’s her. Drevis is here./

Rahn nodded, standing up in a low crouch.

/She won’t run. If her squad is attacked, she’ll stand her ground and fight. Anything less would tarnish her name and reputation./

/Agreed. We take out the pack first, then focus on her. Stay close./

Without another word Karaks jumped down from the plateau, landing straight on the Vandal five meters below. He fell to the ground with a sick, wet crunch as he took the impact of the Night Baroness, chittering softly in pain. As the Shank turned towards her, Karaks fired a single round from one of her pistols into it. The machine fell to the ground, its optical sensors going dark. She quickly fired another round into the Vandal’s head, putting him out of his misery. Rahn landed behind her, taking a look at the Devil.

/One day, we will not have to fight our own kind again./

He said with confidence before following the Baroness across the terrain. They darted from cover to cover, using both rocks, wrecks and old containers to make their way towards the Wolves unseen. As they hunkered down by the outcropping of rock leading up to the structure, Karaks drew her blades. There was no cover between them and the Wolves now, just about thirty meters of open ground.

/Well… no sneaking up on them from here. Move fast, hit hard?/  
Rahn chittered, and she nodded.

/Yes. Ready?/

The Baron hefted his shrapnel launcher, purple energy dancing around his lower hands.

/Ready./

 

Karaks vaulted over their cover, rushing straight towards the Wolves. A Dreg noticed her and roared a warning before dropping to the ground, a pinprick hole in its head. Rahn’s eyes was flaming purple as he sent another tiny beam of energy into a Vandal’s head, hurrying forward as it dropped dead. Drevis herself turned around and aimed her scorch cannon at Karaks, who was now roughly ten meters away. The Wolf laughed and launched a fiery explosive round straight towards her, erupting in a ball of flames and smoke.

/Too easy./

Drevis said confidently, looking at the black cloud. The other Wolves chittered in triumph, though fell quiet as they saw a figure emerging. Karaks was jumping over her already-fading void barrier, roaring with her blades pointed forward. She impaled the closest Dreg as she landed, charging straight towards Drevis. A burst of molten shrapnel caught another Vandal in the chest as Rahn came through the smoke as well, gutting the last Dreg as well with another shot. Karaks cut down a Vandal who tried to stop her, then leaped and sliced Drevis’ scorch cannon in two before she could fire again. The Fang Commander roared in anger and drew a shock blade of her own, blocking Karaks’ next strike.

/Clever trick. But it takes more than that to best me!/

Drevis chittered angrily, knocking Karaks away. Around them, the rest of the pack swiftly fell to Rahn’s shrapnel launcher and void lances. As he charged at Drevis’ side, she drew a second blade and knocked his gun out of his grasp, before spinning and kicking him back. Karaks got up and dashed towards her, but was blocked yet again as all four blades met. Rahn picked himself up and drew his own two blades, charging once more. Drevis turned her head and pushed Karaks back slightly, before blocking both of them, each of her blades meeting two each.

/Give it up, Drevis! You are outmatched!/

Rahn growled, pressing her blade back. Karaks was doing the same, slowly forcing Drevis’ blade closer to its owner.

/Surrender now, and I’ll give you a quick death!/

/Surrender? Hah, never!/

Drevis withdrew both her blades, causing the two to stumble forward at the loss of resistance. She then used her lower arms to simultaneously punch them both, knocking Karaks off her feet and sending Rahn stumbling backwards. The Wolf lunged at Rahn, and the Baron’s eyes flared up as he sent a void lance straight at her head. A small scorch mark appeared on her helmet, but didn’t breach it. He barely managed to get his blade up to block her strike, which sent him sprawling once more onto his back. Before she could finish him off, a small stone hit her helmet.

/Hey!/

Drevis whipped around, glaring at Karaks; the Baroness was back on her feet, blades brandished and ready.

/Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?/

/What, like you? I’m the commander of the Silent Fang! Who do you think you are?/

Karaks growled softly, poised and ready to strike.

/The former Devil Claw commander./

She replied and lunged forward. Drevis roared and sidestepped, spinning around for another slice. Karaks blocked it before swiftly slashing at the Wolf’s arms. A roar of pain followed as Drevis’ lower right arm fell to the ground, ether seeping out of the end and the stump that was left.

/You little!/

She howled and went into a frenzy, slashing at Karaks with all her might. The Baroness couldn’t do anything but backtrack while blocking, until she stumbled backwards over one of the dead Vandals. Drevis roared and raised her blades for a final blow when she suddenly stopped, looking down at her chest. A few wisps of ether was drifting up into the air from where a shock blade was sticking out of her chestplate. Her own blades clattered to the ground as Karaks got up, looking her in the eyes.

/That was for insulting my Kell and mate./

She hissed before stepping back. The blade withdrew and Drevis fell forward, giving a final, weak growl before her eyes faded to black. Rahn holstered his blade, giving Karaks a nod before retrieving his shrapnel launcher.

/That went well./

/Yes. Let’s get back to the skiff./

 

As the two made their way back to the trail leading to the Grotto, a familiar sound appeared in the distance behind them. Rahn turned his head, spotting a Sparrow coming out of the small valley before heading towards them. Straight towards them.

/Guardian! Hurry!/

He called to Karaks, and they both broke into a full-on sprint. A shot hit the dirt to their side; the Hunter was firing at them. Rahn looked back just in time to see the approaching Guardian aim a hand cannon towards them, and he acted without even thinking. He leaped forward, tackling Karaks to the ground just as he heard the shot ring out and a searing pain ran up his left leg. He roared as they fell over, the Sparrow still approaching fast.

/Rahn!/

Karaks called out, then focused on the Sparrow. It would be on her in a matter of seconds. She drew her blade and charged forward, sidestepping at the last second while holding her blade out; it cut through the sparrow’s port side controls and the engine, which blew out. She looked behind her just in time to see the Sparrow and Guardian careening out of control, flying over the edge of the trail and into the water with a large splash. For a second, she felt regret, but she quickly shook it away. The Guardian had attacked them first, and injured Rahn. And they would no doubt be brought back by their Ghost. No harm, no foul. Just self-defense. She hurried over to Rahn, who was on his knees.

/You okay?/  
He asked, looking up at her. She grabbed his arms and hauled him up, supporting him as they walked the last distance to the skiff.

/I should be asking you that./

/It’s just a bullet wound./

Rahn waved off. Karaks narrowed her eyes.

/Why? Why did you take the shot for me?/

The Baron laughed softly, reaching up to grab one of the crawl-bars leading up to the skiff hatches.

/I made a promise./

 

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is a story I've been working on ever since "House of Wolves" came out... and it's my first, proper story ever. So please, let me know what I did good, and what I could do better. I always appreciate constructive feedback.


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